The Next Great Adventure
by The-Caitiff
Summary: After Sirius embarks on the Next Great Adventure, a letter from him encourages Harry to consider his own. Harry is beginning to see the truth of the world and embarks on a strange trip. Later chapters feature a slightly different slytherin Harry and mayhe
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer; I have no rights or claim to characters or locations in the Harry Potter realm. I do however like playing with them and putting them in compromising situations.

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The summer after Harry's fifth year started as a complete disaster. The little talk that his "friends" had decided to give to his relatives only served to stir them up. The ride home was one long rant from his Uncle Vernon about "decent hardworking folks" and "worthless freaks who ruin our economy by living on the dole." It seemed to be his Uncle's oh so informed opinion that since he never saw a full blown robe wearing wizard working at the corner store that they all must be unemployed alcoholics sponging off the rest of society. His Uncle even went so far as to hold the front door open until Harry reached it with his trunk before screaming "Welcome Home, freak!" and slamming it in his face. Harry heard the bolt slide into place as he picked himself up off the ground. No doubt about it, this summer was going to be intolerable.

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That night, Harry heard a tapping at his window. He looked over and opened the window for a very stately looking barn owl. Around it's neck was an emblem of Gringotts Bank, the crest also appeared on the letter tied to it's leg. Harry retrieved the letter and offered the owl a treat and some water before sending it on it's way. He didn't know right off why Gringotts would owl him, but decided to just open it instead of wasting time with idle speculation.

_Dear Mr. Potter,  
It has come to the attention of Gringotts Bank that one Sirius Orion Black has unfortunately moved from this world. Due to this we have been instructed to perform certain acts. We were given a letter to deliver into your care should this occur in addition to the will reading which will take place on the twelfth of June at three fifteen post meridian. There are several irregularities within the will itself, however we have been assured that the enclosed letter will explain them to your satisfaction. Please be advised that due to these irregularities your presence is required at the Diagon Alley branch before the aforementioned date to take care of some paperwork. All business done inside our walls is completely confidential.  
Yours in trust,  
Grabnack  
Department of Wills and Contracts  
Special Services Division_

Harry opened the second envelope that was enclosed, releasing a shower of sparks as it verified his identity.

_Harry,  
I won't always be there to provide a **map** for your life or help you make decisions in the important areas. In fact if you are reading this, I am probably not there for you right now. Don't mourn me for too long, I'll see you again one day. As we pass through each phase of our lives, doors close behind us. No **password** will open them again. I'm gone now but you are still there and you need to **get moving** if you don't want to just waste away. Remember the time we spent together but don't think for one minute I want to see you up here before it's your time. It was my time. I'll always love you.  
Love Always,  
Sirius Black.  
_  
'Well that didn't explain much at all' Harry thought. Unless he was mistaken, there was a bit of a hidden message there. Harry spotted the words that were just a bit straighter and just a bit darker than the others so he tapped the map and spoke the traditional words "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." The flat piece of parchment became a small wood box that was apparently charmed light and to hold more than it should. He opened it and found another letter on top of a collection of other items individually wrapped in butchers paper. The interior was about the size of a large non-magical trunk and maybe half full. The letter was marked "read me first," so he did.

_  
Harry,  
I see you figured it out, good because from here on out your life depends on your wits. No matter what Dumbledore thinks, you are not safe with your relatives and I know you sure as hell are not happy with them. Since you are reading this letter, we'll have to assume I am dead because otherwise I would be bringing you this and explaining it personally between the end of Hogwarts and your birthday. That sucks, but it isn't the end of the road. My dying wish is to see you free and safe. You are neither at Privet Drive. This care package should help you alleviate both._

_  
I've talked with Dumbledore extensively on the protection around Privet Drive and got full details about the wards. It wasn't easy, but I had to remind him several times that I was your guardian by rights and not him. I had to threaten to kidnap you and bring you to headquarters myself before he told me why Privet Drive is "safer" than a Fidelius enchanted home with more than four centuries worth of wards and protections. Now those blood wards around your home are nice but they have a great many flaws and are pretty easy to circumvent if one knows how. Why did you think they are not used on every family estate if they were invincible? For instance, they prevent unwanted wizards and witches from finding it. All bets are off if they were to be invited in, what if a death eater were to be posing as someone else and asked permission to come in? From what you have told me your relatives would be only to happy to let old snake face in if he promised to kill you. Another major flaw is that they are very easy to tear down. If any member of the bloodline being protected were to willingly (cannot be magically compelled) spill their blood and say the right words, the wards would shatter. In most cases, deliberately betraying family like that would be unthinkable, but again these are your relatives who hate magic and everyone associated with it. Those are just the easiest to exploit, I've marked the page on your wards in one of the books inside.  
_

_ So what are we to do? Well I was just going to kidnap you and help you escape. I ran from the Aurors for years, I can evade Dumbledore's half trained crew and you can too. I don't know why Dumbledore is so obsessive over you but it seems to me that something is fishy. Think things through on your own and make your own decisions about your safety and future. If Voldemort wants to kill you so bad, maybe leaving the country would be for the best. Maybe Hogwarts cannot provided the best education. Think things through and make your own choices. I'm going to talk a lot in this letter about how to escape Dumbledore and his crew, in case you ever need it. I've been making preparations and laying up supplies in case either of us needs to make a quick getaway. Maybe now is not the time, maybe it is. No matter what you decide, never reveal this box or its contents to anyone, keep them around as a just in case kind of measure. For whatever reason, you are a target so take precautions.  
_

_ I've done a few funny things with my last will and testament that you may need to know about. Going back in time a bit, before I went to prison, I was dating a girl pretty seriously and we were in love. The night your parents were murdered, she told me she was pregnant. I was ecstatic of course and wanted to marry her and have a real family of my own. I was tossed in Azkaban and forgotten about for many years. She however fled the country and my notoriety, not wanting everyone to know she had my child I suppose. As soon as you rescued me and became convinced of my innocence, I left the country searching for her and my child. I know that sounds like my priorities were all out of whack but I needed to get that traitor same as I did that night so long ago. I found that she had the child in the United States and then the trail went cold for a bit. It seems that no one in the magical world had seen either of them in years. I had given her a special locket and decided to try a tracking charm. Where is this going you ask? She and my son died while on vacation in Puerto Rico, in the muggle world. The magical world knows that they lived but not that they died.  
I filled out some paperwork and secured you an American passport in his name which will work in both magical and muggle worlds. Simply tap the blank pictures with your wand and then place a drop of your blood on the indicated box. Once it is linked to you it will always show whatever face you have on, including any glamours, disguises, or polyjuice. The Americans are paranoid about privacy, so long as your passport is genuine, they don't need to see your true face. Yours is very genuine, Mr. Simon Andrew Black. I've emancipated Simon in the USA so that's one less boundary.  
_

_ The goblins at Gringotts however are a lot more picky, but I have worked a way around it. My solicitor helped me set up a corporate entity in the muggle world called Simon Andrew Black and then had this entity open a Gringotts account to which you and I are the only ones able to open the vault. The goblins were less than amused to be creating a person who didn't exist, but were convinced with a bit of gold that it should happen anyways. In short, you are Simon Black now to the wizarding world if you wish to be. When I die, I will be leaving the majority of my estate to this fake name. You'll get some because it is expected, but no one will be able to contest my long lost son (especially if you have your documents ready) inheriting the rest. Dumbledore watches your vaults at Gringotts out of some perverse desire to make sure you are not spoiled. Yes I said vaults, your family had a vault for heirlooms and money in addition to your trust vault. That's why I made the phony name for you to have unfettered access to funds and the influence the Black family can swing.  
_

_ So now you have a new name and some funding, it's time to begin plotting your escape. I've secured a few general purpose wands in the United States and included them in the box. They work for anyone but are not as good as a custom made wand or even an Olivander's wand that chose you. They are illegal and untraceable in Britain, but don't let that slow you down. Something you should know about the outside world, Britain may think they are the epitome of all things magical but that is far from the truth. Britain went stagnant centuries ago, all new innovations were either banned or dismissed as "muggle inspired filth." The rest of the world, especially the USA, Australia, Japan, and the "New World", are far more advanced than the older tradition bound countries of europe. The last man to call himself a Dark Lord in the USA lasted less than a month, because their aurors recognize threats and deal with them.  
_

_ Another very useful set of things you'll find in the box is a variant of polyjuice potion. It was invented in Britain in the twelve hundreds, banned soon after, and never improved upon. A group of researchers in Mexico improved it to last a full day instead of an hour and made it simpler to brew. Sharon saved a lock of hair from when Simon was a child and it is included also. You can now pose as my son anytime you need, but be sparing with the hair once it is gone it is gone and the potion only requires the barest touch of material to work from. That potion and many more are in one of the books. There are many books on stealth, disguise, and escape included.  
_

_ Languages are not as much of a barrier as one might think. There was an invention just fifty years ago by a Frenchman in the South Pacific who despaired at needing too many languages. He invented a device to implant memories and burn pathways in your brain to make languages easier to learn. One simply holds the charged crystal over your temple and speak the activation phrase to have it implant the new language and proper accents. It is very painful, I won't lie, but it does beat months of study and hard work. The crystals are single use. I've included American English, Spanish, New World Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, French, Haitian Creole, Swahili, Afrikaans, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. Wherever you may end up, hopefully one of those will be sufficient. The crystals can be purchased at most travel hubs for a few hundred galleons.  
_

_ Transportation is actually a lot simpler to arrange than you would imagine. Portkeys are useful but illegal to make without ministry approval (in Britain, most countries just want you to get a license), that spell is in the book on travel with the blue cover, chapter seven. Apparition, unlicensed in most countries, is in chapter five. For long distances, especially international there are really three options. One is official ministry to ministry portkey, these are difficult for a man on the run to arrange but very resonably priced. They take you to the government office of whichever country you want to go. Phoenix Airways is a really cool option if you can afford it and know the spell. By performing the correct wand movement and incantation (chapter twelve), you can summon a trained phoenix to transport you anywhere in the world. They will first take you an office where you must pay one hundred galleons (be sure to have correct change, the company is run by goblins), then to a magical customs station for whatever country, and finally to your destination. There is a similar service named Thunderbird Travels that use thunderbirds to travel. Their rates vary by distance travelled, but thunderbirds are easily offended and the ride is not always as smooth as phoenix travel. I've included a book listing all the major magical settlements and most of the minor hubs in the world. It also gives a basic guide to dress and national customs (most importantly major insults and how to avoid making them). Unless you plan to stay in Europe (bad idea, the dark idiot and Dumbledore both have spies all over), I would lose the robes. They are acceptable in the magical hubs but definitely mark you as someone from one of the less developed societies who focus on tradition and blood rather than ability and innovation.  
_

_ Now you've got a way to perform magic, money, transportation, a disguise, a foreign passport, a lowered language barrier, and your wits... Let me give you a bit of advice to top it all off. If you plan an escape, never discuss it out loud even to yourself. Never write it down. Do not leave anything from this box lying around. Close the box and return it to letter form when you are done with it, even after just taking a book out. Most of this is illegal in Britain and you really don't want to answer questions about how you acquired it to anyone. If you are going to include anyone else in your plans, be absolutely positive that they are one hundred percent trustworthy. Personally I would take the time to assemble a similar care package and send it to them once I was gone rather than taking the time to make plans for two and risking exposure. I would begin collecting hairs and whatnot from anyone who looks non descript in whatever local you find yourself in. If you stumble across another "dead" wizard or muggle who died in the wrong world, consider trying to adopt their identity. It is easier to fake a muggle identity than a magical one but if you can get away with it, by all means take the chance. Escape plans and identities are immensely useful and you should always have another one.  
_

_ Whatever you decide to do, and whenever you decide to do it, remember to live. Find a girl, heck find a couple girls, and just have some fun. Make some friends, never stop learning (the marauders learned more while inventing jokes than in any class), waste money on frivolous things, and live your life on your terms. I love you as if you were my own son and wish we had more time together.  
Love Always,  
The Infamous Padfoot_

Harry set down the letter and cried for a few minutes. Clearly his Godfather was prepared and wanted to help him as much as he could. Once he had drained himself of some of his excess emotions he began to examine the contents of the box. He found the vials of improved polyjuice and hair in a clearly marked package. He found four dull looking black wands twelve inches long in another. He pick one out and gave it a swish. He got a sputtering of sparks but it didn't feel right. He pulled out the passport and activated it with a drop of his blood. There were instructions on the inside back leaf for how to switch between muggle and magical style. There were books on disguise, escape (or "emergency travel in tricky circumstances" as it was more politely known), stealth, travel, culture, wards, potions, and a few more lighthearted topics. He found nearly two thousand pounds in assorted muggle currency and five hundred galleons. He unwrapped one package that felt like a book only to find himself holding something that was invisible. After opening it and tapping the title page three times (the wrapping helped) he found himself holding "The Invisible Book of Invisibility." A multitude of plans began to present themselves to his mind and he would have to think on it for a while. He put everything back and even stashed his invisibility cloak, photo album, his firebolt, and the few irreplaceable trinkets he owned in the newfound hidey-hole.

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The goblins were gruff but polite when Harry arrived in the bank later in the week. Escape had been easy, he waited for Dung to be on duty (easy to tell with the stench of tobacco and whiskey in the air) and slipped out with his invisibility cloak. He took a bus to another part of town and summoned the Knight Bus to take him to Diagon Alley. There was a multitude of paperwork involved claiming his vaults. By virtue of Simon being emancipated and Harry being Simon, Harry was given access to the Potter Vaults as well. Most of the problems in the paper work involved Harry becoming the leader of the "company" that was Simon Andrew Black. He added the "actual" Simon Black as the new second in command. The two goblins helping him stopped and looked to each other grinning when he asked to do that. They promptly asked if he would need the assistance of Wills and Special Services while he was there. He declined but kept it in his mind just in case.

After a brief bit of shopping for new clothing, Harry applied a glamour of a much younger Sirius Black and caught the Knight bus. He kept his purchases shrunk in his pocket, but was showing off a bit by juggling four galleons in one hand while he walked down Privet Drive and up to number four. He made no efforts at all to hide his being a wizard, the gold coins were a bit of a tip off, and stopped by the door to grab the spare key hidden under a rock. Harry was certain that between the Knight Bus and his little nonchalant juggling act his watchers were going spare. He slipped into his room and removed the glamour before changing into his old clothes. Within minutes there was a knock at the door. Harry went back down stairs and opened the door to find Albus Dumbledore.

"Greetings Professor, is there something I could help you with?" Harry asked.

"We were wondering who your companion is. We've never seen him before and we worry for your safety."

"Am I not allowed friends Headmaster? Am I a prisoner to be denied visitation?"

"No but..." Dumbledore started.

"Exactly. Please do not concern yourself with Simon. We had some private matters to discuss and they are none of your concern."

"He may not be safe!"

"Headmaster you've always assured me of the impenetrable nature of these wards. You've told me time and again that the only place safer was Hogwarts. Are you meaning to say that you have been lying to me and putting me in an abusive situation just for laughs?" Harry raised an eyebrow while his face settled in a stoney expression.

"No Harry..." Dumbledore was quick to backpedal.

"Then mind your own business. I am not a prisoner. Now, on to other topics. Gringotts has informed me that Sirius' Will is to be read in a few days."

"I'm sorry Harry but it is much too dangerous."

"I thought you would say so. Would you please arrange papers for Remus to go as my proxy and ask him to come see me?"

"I will take care of that Harry..."

"No, I would much prefer that Remus represent me in this matter. In this we are practically family and family always comes first."

"I'll see what can be done." Dumbledore told him.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer; This is a work of fiction derived from the intellectual properties belonging to one J.K. Rowling.

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Harry soon found that making illegal portkeys was harder than it looked. For all the charm was two syllables (por-tus) and three wand movements (flick-swish-tap), it required a very focused intent and a touch of power. At first he had a lot of trouble even getting the object to flash blue showing the spell had worked, and then he learned all about how important it was to be very specific in his targets. His first two attempts deposited a bit off target. The first he intended to take him to the cave outside Hogsmeade. It worked, sort of. Instead of on the ground outside the cave, he ported in close enough to the ceiling inside the cave that the back of his shirt was ripped off after porting into solid rock. He needed no help figuring out just how lucky he was that it was only his shirt. The second was to be his return trip. Given his newfound phobia of portkeys leading to enclosed spaces, he aimed the next for his backyard. The problem was that he used the view from his window to visualize it. He appeared mid air just outside his window and hit the ground about as hard as one would expect. Future attempts were a little better and by the end of the next day he was at least competent to produce a non-lethal portkey. Landings had never been his forte and likely would remain that way for a while.

Thinking ahead to the will reading he would be going to if it killed him, Harry considered who would be there and how to conceal his identity. He decided he would need the Dopple-juice (as the improved polyjuice was properly known) in case of Mad Eye and preferably some additional glamours and changes. He found in the potions book an occlusion potion to create perfect occlumancy shields for about four hours, but could only be taken once a week. The Americans were apparently pretty paranoid, the chapter on "privacy potions" which contained both potions made up more than a quarter of the book. He also found a scent hiding potion. In one of the spell books he found voice changing charms. His favorite book by far was one of the ones Sirius had included to cheer him up and was on signature effects. He found spells to create special effects whenever he performed certain actions. Looking through the book it was clear why Snape's robes always billowed menacingly at just the right time, or Dumbledore's thrice damned twinkle as he looked over his glasses. He decided that as Simon Black, son to the infamous marauders, he needed his own signature effect. After consulting the chart of wand movements vocal components and effects he cast his custom effect. From now on, whenever he snapped his ring finger against his thumb and brought his index finger out in the classic "hand/gun" form, his index finger would give off a flash, a wisp of smoke, and a bang. It was a little disconcerting he decided as he practiced in front of a mirror but it had style, and Sirius's son had to have style.

After discovering that the American English language crystal had cursed him with a southern drawl as if he were from Georgia, he decided to load the New World Spanish as well. The Spanish spoken in Latin America and the Caribbean was similar to proper Spanish just as American is similar to the Queen's English. It seems that as soon as a language crosses the Atlantic Ocean it is butchered and raped in a shady alley before being put in a mental institution. The Spanish crystal gave him a musical Caribbean accent that spoke of oceans and good living.

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The morning of the will reading Harry consumed his potions except the occlumancy potion and dressed to the nines. He was now just over 160 centimeters (5' 4") and eight and a half stone (120 pounds, 55 kilos or so). His hair was long and black like Sirius's but his eyes were a vibrant compelling blue (which thankfully didn't need glasses) instead of the slate grey that was common in the Black family. His face, while lacking the aristocratic features of his haughty relatives looked like the perfect front man. He looked kind and benevolent, almost innocent, but his mind was as sharp as ever. Between living with the Dursley's for so long and all the trouble he got into at Hogwarts, he was a fair actor with a flair for playing the weak confused child. While he constantly underachieved in classes, anyone who had seen him when all the chips were down knew that a sharp mind and consumate skill lay behind the facade. He was a lot like Luna in that way. To everyone else she was a ditzy blonde suffering from delusions, but the Department of Mysteries disaster showed that she was more than she appeared. Maybe some of it was an act, he didn't know but he wanted to find out. Unless something went seriously wrong, he should have no problem concealing his true identity.

He took his portkey to the back courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron and went out into the muggle world to wait for the correct time. He completed the look of a confident and secure American teenager with a pair of slim square framed sunglasses. He perched them on his nose so that he could glare or smile over the top of them. While Harry's glasses seemed to destroy any glare, this pair of sunglasses seemed to enhance the look by completely concealing the bottom half of his eyes and letting those piercing blue beauties go to work. This clearly bore investigation, maybe Harry needed to invest in new glasses. Deciding to be an utter prick, Harry decided to pump raw magic into the glasses. To Moody's eye they would light up like a christmas tree and the man would probably spend half the meeting trying to discover their secrets. Serves him right.

He shopped around Diagon Alley for a bit but didn't buy anything before walking into Gringotts at three o'clock. He presented his passport to the teller and was given directions to the proper room. He wasn't the first person to arrive but no one paid him much mind. The Malfoys ignored him as did the woman who if he had to guess was Tonk's mother. The Grangers gave him a look since he appeared relatively normal but Hermione was trying desperately to pretend that she was not in the same room as Draco. As Order members began to arrive he got a bit more attention. Tonks came in and sat by her mother, but when she noticed the Malfoy's her hair flashed bright red, and not the Weasley type.

"Wow, kick ass! Another shifter!" Harry/Simon exclaimed. "You wouldn't happen to be my cousin the cop would you?"  
"What?" Tonk's was the picture of eloquence as she swiveled her attention.  
"Your hair changed, so you're obviously a shifter. Dad mentioned I've got a cousin who is a shifter and a magical policeman. Are you Nymphadora Tonks?"  
She was a bit shaken, "Yes I am, and who are you?"  
"I'm Simon Black of course, Sirius's little hell spawn. I think I am a shifter too, I did a bit of shifting with my hair when I was younger and never need a haircut but I can't seem to conciously control it."  
Most of the people in the room dropped their conversations and tried to listen in without being obvious.  
"I wasn't aware my cousin had a son." Narcissa Malfoy sniffed.  
"Well Mom skipped town after he got arrested. She always told me he was innocent but she didn't want me raised in a country where everyone would insult my father for being a racist bigot and a murderer. So I was born in America and had to raise myself since Mom died. Dad only found me two years ago but I was doing alright for myself by then."  
"Ah, so you're just a bastard then." She sneered.  
"And you're a stuck up bigot of a bitch, but back to relatives I think I might like." Half the room gasped at his insult to a very influential lady. He turned to address the Tonks contingent. "So anyway, Dad said there was something up with your name that you didn't like. So how do ya want me to call ya darlin? I can't just call ya Tonks, we ain't in the army here."  
Mrs. Malfoy was nearly apolectic at hearing a Black of all people mangle her language. She was a pureblood damn it! She shouldn't be subjected to such low born vulgarities. Harry was loving the effect. He could of course speak proper english, even proper american if such a thing existed, but the crystal had implanted the drawl and slang so he ran with it. He was just waiting to slip "ya'll" into a conversation, he'd probably kill Dumbledore and Narcissa.  
"I suppose if you had to you could call me Cammy." Tonks admitted.  
"Ah, like a chameleon. Nice nickname. Maybe we should get to know each other better later. I guess ya'll (there was the flinch!) are the closest thing I have to a family now, besides Harry. Where is he anyway?"  
"Mr. Potter was is still grieving and was unable to make it, I am here in his place." Dumbledore told him.  
"That's funny, he was fine a few days ago and he told me that if you locked him away again he would send Uncle Moony in his place. Guess you really are a manipulative asshole." He mumbled the last part. Remus's head perked up a touch but he wasn't going to be rude and break into a discussion when he wasn't invited. He'd leave that to the Malfoys and the oh so benevolent mugwump. They'd be having words later he was sure of it.  
"Of course we can spend time together later." Mrs. Tonks assured him. "I'm not clear on Mr. Potter but you will just have to come over for dinner some time."  
"Well aside from my great aunt being his grandmother, Dorea Black, Dad was his godfather and if your government weren't stuck in the eighteenth century we would have grown up brothers. So he's like my cousin and godbrother or something. I talked to him and we like the idea." Harry informed her.  
"I know that of course, but I meant that certain parties seem to take more interest in his safety than he does. He may not be allowed to come."  
"Nonsense, we'll just have to kidnap him then."  
"You seem to have a rather dim view of the law." Tonks told him.  
"No, I just think the brits are doing things ass backwards. Who legally is in charge of Harry? Those Norms, the Dursleys right? They want him out of the house so badly I could feel it. They want him gone, he wants to be gone, and we want him gone. The rest of the world can jump off a bridge. If I have to we can catch a pheonix or thunderbird and grab him right from his bedroom, if he leaves of his own free will it isn't kidnaping. Then it is called running away."  
"Something you seem familiar with." Mrs. Tonks observed.  
"Well Mom died when I was five and Dad didn't break out until I was twelve, so that was seven years of raising myself and avoiding all the folks who wanted to lock me away like Harry. Of course I can plan an escape or two."  
"And what have you done concerning your education?" Dumbledore tried to come over as the wise grandfather again. Harry felt a probe bounce off his shields.  
"Well I taught myself of course. I've been studying magic for years now. I couldn't go somewhere where they could lock me up and only teach me certain things. Once Dad found me he set me up with a steady place to live and some money for supplies and whatnot. This summer I was going to travel the world and see what each country had to offer. Looks like I'm starting in England once the rest of these folks are done picking over my dad's bones." He nodded pointedly at the Malfoys.  
"Simon, that is incredibly disrespectful." The Headmaster scolded.  
"Mr. Black to you, family and friends call me Simon." He replied, then winked at Tonks, "The ladies call me El Guapo Negro, the good looking Black."  
"She's your cousin!" Hermione gasped, speaking up for the first time.  
"Meh... She's a pureblood and I'm from the South, it could be worse. I know a guy who knocked up his sister. I'm just kidding though." He shot her a grin and snapped his fingers for his new signature effect.

Just then, Grabnack walked in. "Good, I see everyone is here. If you will please take your seats we can begin. This is the reading of Sirius Orion Black's Last Will and Testament."

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_ I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and godlike body declare this my last will and testament, voiding all previous wills. Ok, there is the legal bit. I'm sorry I'm not still with you all, but I guess my life of sin finally caught up with me and I died in a hooker's arms like I always wanted. No? Fine, ruin my last delusions. No, more likely I died doing something incredibly stupid. I just want to say to anyone who may have seen me go in such a manner that it isn't your fault for not saving me. It was coming eventually anyway, hopefully my death had purpose. I'd like to stop and say a few words to some of you, just a last reconciliation or bit of advise perhaps._

_ Narcissa, we didn't always get along as kids and we definately wound up in different circles as adults. So far as I know you are not the type of person your husband is, but you need to decide whether his values really reflect your own. I know your marriage to Lucius was one of alliance and not love. Perhaps it is time to reconsider that alliance. Remember the motto of the family you married into and the motto of your birth family. "A Malfoy Bows To No One" and "Always Pure." Now I don't subscribe to all the blood purity beliefs, but there is no denying that the so called Lord Voldemort, born with the name Tom Riddle, is a half blood and your husband not only bows but grovels at his feet. I am leaving you two hundred thousand galleons in hopes that once you have means to provide for yourself you might remember some of the pride our family always had._

_ Andromeda and Tonks, I can't thank you enough for believing in my innocence and accepting me as family these past few years. Andy, you were always my favorite cousin and I want you to know that your love has touched me. Thank you. I want to give you and your daughter both two hundred thousand galleons as well. I know you wouldn't have accepted it from me in life, but now you can't give it back._

_ Moony, your friendship and support has kept me going through some hard times. All the Marauder gear we collected over the years is yours now, maybe you should choose some apprentices and keep the laughter alive in this time of darkness. I want you to take the flat in Bristol and ten thousand galleons as well. The clothes make the man my friend, get some new ones and maybe your job prospects will look up._

_ Harry, you were always like a son to me and I want you to know that I am proud of you. I love you and enjoyed our time together. Great things are afoot and all is not as it seems. I want you to take two hundred thousand galleons and live life to the fullest. Take a series of random girls on dates, dance naked in the street and buy your way out of a conviction, do something extremely foolish. I know you worry about what others think of you and what the papers say. Well I want to tell you this, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Under all that fame and crap you are a man just like me. If it were one of your dorm mates dating a slew of witches, no body would bat an eye, but people think you are different. You told me all you ever wanted to be was normal, but you already are. You are the same as everyone else but they just haven't seen it yet. If they don't like the way you choose to live your life, they can all go hang. Your life is about you and you only get one chance to live it._

_ To the Weasley Family and the Granger Family, you have not only helped me and saved my life, you've saved and helped Harry when he needed it most. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you. A life debt is no small matter and I want the Grangers to know that. I am regretfully passing them to my son if it was unfulfilled at the time of my death. In spite of the incalculable debt that is already between us, please take the pittance of fifty thousand galleons for your help and support. I can never repay what you have done for me and my godson. Thank you._

_ I wish to contribute five thousand galleons to the Order of the Phoenix to help the fight against Voldemort._

_ I leave all other earthly possesions, titles, lands, and contracts to Simon Andrew Black. Like I said to Harry, live life. I addressed my other concerns in my letter, remember it and keep it safe._

_ In fact that goes for the rest of you as well. Live life to the fullest and kick the dark idiot's arse._

_ Signed in Blood to Seal the Truth._

_ Sirius Black._

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There was some sniffling from some of those present (Molly Weasley for instance), but for most it was a very quiet mood. Harry stood and walked to the Grangers and Hermione.

"As my father said, our family owes you a great debt. If you are ever in any need you may ask my help. Even if it would mean my death, we owe you. In a bizarre way when your daughter saved my father's life she also saved mine. He didn't manage to find me and help get me back on my feet until after your daughter had saved his life. I don't know where I would be if it were not for her help." He bowed formally.  
Mr. Granger put a hand on his shoulder, "How old are you son?"  
"I am fourteen sir."  
"I don't know exactly what happened to incur this debt, but I want you to know that I won't be calling it in. At only fourteen you are hardly responsible for your father's actions."  
"Whether you call it due or not, the debt will exist between out families until one of yours calls for it or one of yours incurs one in return. Since your daughter was raised a Norm I don't know if she understands, but these are the type of bonds that unite families for generations in our world. If you wished it you could even demand that I marry your daughter, thus bringing our fortunes together. I know you will not, but that is an example."  
"I do understand." Hermione said meekly, "Harry and I have a number of them between us, though neither of us is keeping count I don't think. I did a bit of research."  
"The way he tells it you have him at an extreme disadvantage. Two from his first year, another from his second, one from him and another from me in your third, at least four in your fourth, and a few more from last year. He tells me he saved you from the troll and maybe in the ministry. Eight or so debts from the Potters, two from the Blacks, you could certainly become a very powerful witch if you wanted."  
Hermione just blushed.  
"I've got to leave, I have a portkey scheduled soon but I wanted to thank you and explain. Perhaps we will meet again later." Harry walked out of the room and hurried to arrive at the Dursley home before the order returned. He changed clothes, canceled his spells, and drank a counter potion to return to normal form just minuted before a pop and steady thumping sound indicated that Moody had taken over from his previous guard.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; Not mine, all JKR's.

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Over the next week, Harry studied a bit and plotted his escape. He was more than a bit annoyed that not only had he been completely cut off but that no one even thought to tell him what Sirius had said to him in the will. If he really was grieving as bad as they claimed those words would have been a balm to his soul. Sirius' death still hurt, but getting the letters and going to the reading had helped bring him some closure. It was now just an empty ache instead of a festering hole in his heart. He created two more "pocket vaults" as he had taken to calling Sirius' letter. The charms needed to do that were located in one of his personal journals. He put his new clothing in one and kept the other for a trip to Gringotts where he hoped to pick up some cash and anything that looked useful.

He received a few letters addressed to Simon (since he was head of the company by that name), one of which infuriated him. Albus Dumbledore wrote him to offer him a place at Hogwarts and to ask him not to visit or write Harry anymore. Apparently Harry was emotionally unstable and in serious danger, his presence could lead others to him. He wrote back that he would consider coming to Hogwarts in the fall but that he wasn't sure if it was best. He also used every foul word he knew in three languages and a few he invented on the spot to tell the meddling old coot what he thought about the orders to stay away from Harry. The Tonks family invited him to a Sunday dinner and gave directions to their home. He replied that he would be delighted to attend and made plans to do so. Remus wrote him to try and get to know his other honorary nephew.

One thing that was becoming abundantly clear was that while everyone wanted to know Simon and do things with him, Harry was a prisoner. Harry decided it was time to change all that. He was baffled for a while at how to disappear as Harry without Simon becoming subject to questions he couldn't afford to answer. Especially given his comments to Tonks, which were in character to a fiercely independent street rat, he would be a prime suspect. He caught a sudden flash of inspiration and smiled. It was a plan worthy of a Slytherin and he would have the perfect alibi at the time.

He traveled to Gringotts and picked up a healthy supply of galleons and muggle money in both pounds and dollars in addition to some of the more choice heirlooms. He found another invisibility cloak in the Black vault, which apparently had been borrowed by the order at some point because he could smell the tobacco and whiskey Dung was known for. On his way out he grabbed a few other things from Diagon Alley and then returned home. Once home he enchanted an unhealthy number of portkeys out of knuts. He wouldn't have long to wait now...

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Sunday morning found Harry out prowling the streets of Little Whinging in his invisibility cloak, finally doing some of the horrible things he had been accused of over the years. More specifically he was looking for a stray cat to do horrible things to. He eventually found one eating from a garbage can and sent a quick stunner at it. He placed a silencing charm on the unconscious cat and placed him in his backpack before heading home. He cleaned his room until everything was immaculate and sat down to write.

Just before he was due at the Tonks home for dinner he got out his wand and set to work. Using the counter to the human to animal transfiguration he turned his unconscious cat into an unconscious person. He forced a dose of dopple juice down it's throat and he had an unconscious Harry clone laying on his bed. He used a spell to dress his clone in his emerald green dress robes. He tucked away his pocket vaults and set out to find his relatives. He cornered them in the kitchen. He pulled his Holly and Phoenix feather wand.

"I've had just about enough of your hatred and bigotry! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you, and I'm sick of the rest of the world. I'm letting you off easy!" He told them.

"Boy! What is the..." Uncle Vernon didn't even wait for him to finish before coming to full steam.

"Anthropi Porcini! Anthropi Equini! Anthropi Porcini!" Harry cursed. His Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin became two pigs and a horse, no less than they deserved. Running upstairs he ennervated the clone with the general wand before he brought his Holly wand to bear. "Avada Kedavra!" As the green beam struck his doppleganger and locked his form for eternity Harry felt a little ill. He placed his wand in the corpse's hand

He quickly downed a dose of potion himself and became Simon. He cut his finger and as the blood leaked out of his window he said the words to destroy the wards once and for all. They broke with a flash of light as Harry activated his portkey. When the Order arrived nearly fifteen minutes later (great response time, even the ministry owl beat them) they found a firebolt racing broom and an invisibility cloak on the desk next to a letter to the order.

_ To Whom It May Concern,_

_ Congratulations everyone it looks like you broke me in a way Tom never could. I hope you're proud. It should be obvious by now but I'm gone. Personally I blame Dumbledore. He killed any hope of a normal life when he refused to give me to Sirius all those years ago. He killed all my hopes of being a well adjusted teenager when he began manipulating me again in my first year. He put me into an abusive home and left me to rot. When I needed help and support the most, he told my friends and family to not contact me. And they listened. As you can see I have escaped the only way that was left for me. Great job everyone, not even Voldemort and his Death Eaters ever made me feel this desperate and trapped. With luck another prophecy will be made soon and you'll have another toy to play with. Try not to screw this one up, because I don't particularly feel most of the wizarding world deserves saving._

_ So anyway I want Ron to take my firebolt and give my cloak to Hermione for those late night library trips. She'll use it more and for better purposes than I ever did. I gave Simon my map. I told the goblins to make a few money transfers for me as well. I'm off to see my family now._

_ Signed in Blood to Seal the Truth_

_ Harry James Potter_

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Simon bounced through three seperate portkeys before arriving outside the Tonks residence. He knocked on the door and was promptly welcomed inside by the family.

"Simon, so good to see you again dear, please make yourself at home. I'm Andy and this is my husband Ted, you've already met Nymphadora." Mrs. Tonks was a sweetheart apparently, and gave Narcissa a run for her money as best looking Black sister.

"Nice to meet you sir. Thank ya'll for havin me over. Harry never responded to my letters so I don't guess he'll be coming." He said.

"He never answered mine either." Andy said.

"Ya'll don't reckon Dumbledore set up a mail ward do you?" He asked. It seemed likely since he never got her letter...

"No he wouldn't do a thing like that. The food is almost done, why don't you go wash up and we'll sit down."

Just then Tonks grabbed her order pendant and jumped to her feet. "Sorry Mum, there's an emergency I've got to go."

They waved her off and sat down for the meal. They chatted companionably as they ate, Harry learned more about them and Tonks from that meal than he had known previously. Which was the point really. He evaded direct questions that could be proven or disproven but gave his opinions and views on certain topics. As they were about to start on the dessert course a white faced Tonks walked in. She poured herself a healthy dose of brandy and swallowed it down.

"Harry's dead." She told the waiting group.

"Well shit," Harry drawled, "It's been a lovely evening Sir, Ma'am, but it looks like it is time for me to get the hell out of the country."

"What? Why?" Andy asked still in shock.

"Most of your country still believes my father killed his. Now the last of the Potters drops dead not even a week after the last of the Blacks show up? My dad never got a trial and I am not waiting to see if I get one. First rule of the streets, whether you did it or not, don't be there when the cops show up. Cammy, tell the old guy he can still use my home for your clubhouse but he needs to either get rid of the wards or key me in."

"But you were here with us." Tonks pointed out.

"And so one family member covers for another. Did they ever bother to gather evidence that my father really was a death eater before they locked him away? Like I said, it's been absolutely wonderful meeting you all but it appears that I need to leave. Thank you, good night." He shook Ted's hand and gave the two women hugs before hurrying out the door and activating a portkey. When he arrived in Manchester he pulled money from his pocket vault and summoned Thunderbird Travels for a pick up.

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"Velcome to magical Leningrad, papers please." A large man asked him in heavily accented english when he arrived in Russia minutes later. Harry handed over his passport and let the man examine it.

"Do you know where I can find a room for the night?" He asked the man in Russian.

"Ah, good. The cheapest rooms are at the Red Star bar, but the locks don't always work and you want a good lock on your door if you stay in that part of town. If you can afford a little more, try the Cossack Inn. The beds are nice, the water hot, and the security alright. Tell them Ivan Petrovich sent you and you may get a better deal." He said.

_ "Finally, I'm free. Now I just need to kill this man and I can escape._" A hissing voice said from under the counter.

"Ivan, stand very, very still. There is a snake about to bite you and I can help." Harry moved slowly around the counter as Ivan froze. He saw the back of a large snake's head coming from amid the pile of confiscated contraband. The snake looked vaguely familiar but Harry didn't stop to question why as his hand shot out as if grabbing a snitch. His fingers wrapped around the jaw and held it closed. The snake however did not like this treatment and it's body wrapped around his arm and started to squeeze.

Ivan looked down and paled dramatically. "Good thing you warned me not to move! That's a basilisk, if I had looked for it, it might not have needed to bite me."

"So do you always keep live basilisks under your desk?" Harry joked.

"I'm going to kill Gregor! He should have told me if there was something really dangerous down there."

"Speaking of killing, this basilisk has kind of got my arm and letting it go would be a bad idea for both of us. What do you want me to do?"

"We are not supposed to kill the live animals that we confiscate, but then again it is still illegal to bring a dead basilisk into the country."

"Ok, I'll kill it and you can take it away again." Harry grabbed one of the knives from the box and stabbed it right behind where his hand covered the eyes.

"So you're a snake speaker then?"

"Yes, I heard it celebrating it's freedom and saying it was going to bit you. It least this one was easier than the last one I had to kill."

"You've saved my life young friend. If there is anything you need that you can't find in our local markets, call my cousin Yuri. I'll let him know you are on the level. And just this once, I won't ask why you have no luggage, yes? Enjoy Mother Russia." Ivan scribbled a phone number and address on a card before handing it over with a wink.

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Harry spent a bit of time wandering around Russia but didn't really find much that suited him for a vacation. He portkeyed to Moscow and saw the Red Square, the Kremlin. and the Tsarist Palace, but noticed that it was distinctly lacking in lighthearted mirth. The wand maker in St. Petersburg/Leningrad (the magical community was still a touch behind the times and preferred the Soviet name while the muggle part changed) couldn't get him a proper fit so he continued with his general purpose wands for now. He picked up another load of potions supplies and began making a large batch of Dopple juice. For the most part he was just relying on a wide variety of concealment and glamour charms while wandering about. While wandering the magical district he noticed a rich looking man talking on a mobile phone that was a bit odd. He asked around but was told that they weren't available in Russia yet, the technomancers were keeping their secrets for the richer American markets. Given this new insight he thought maybe it was time to pay Yuri a visit.

He found the location but was obviously out of place as he moved down the sidewalk. The neighborhood was rundown and there were several people living on the streets outside. His nice new clothing practically made him a beacon. He walked into the small shop that was listed on the card to find only food and drinks on sale. After picking up a few things he couldn't get at home (home made vodka and the like) he approached the counter. There was a massive stern faced woman at the register who looked like she could play beater for any professional team she wanted. She wasn't easy on the eyes, but she was imposing.

"Ivan Petrovich told me I should come see Yuri." He told the woman behind the counter.

She moved a hand beneath the counter and pushed a button. The front door clicked shut and a buzzing sound came from behind her. She gestured him around the counter and pushed open a false wall. After they travelled down a hallway, they stopped in front of a door where she knocked an intricate pattern. A bolt slid open and two eyes looked out. The woman finally spoke, "Ivan sent him to see Yuri." The door opened. Harry was beginning to realize who he was visiting.

He entered the room to to find a man in a nice business suit sitting behind a desk enjoying a cigar. "Ah, the young man who killed the basilisk. Ivan told me to expect you, he thought you might be in the business too. So what brings you to see me?"

"I'm looking for a few things. I'm in need of a new technomancer's phone with all the options, and a new pair of sunglasses with any special vision charms we can arrange. I'm looking for the ability to see people hiding under invisibility cloaks, night vision, heat vision, charmed so only I can remove them, automatic changes to fit my prescription, anything an alert man needs. Money isn't really a problem, if I don't have it with me I can get it within twenty four hours."

"Ah, you are wise beyond your apparent years to need such things. Tell me, Ivan says you are American, why are you looking in Russia for a technomancer phone? It would be easier to acquire and cheaper too back home."

"But I'm not in America, I'm in Russia and I don't know when I'll my travels will find me back there. In the mean time I like to stay in touch with people who might help direct my travels." He knew what he was implying, but it wasn't really a lie. Hermione was sure to know all the interesting places he should visit and could tell him whether Simon would be welcome in England again.

"Unfortunately I cannot help you with the phone, but I may be able to provide some direction for your travels to someone who can. The only trouble with the glasses is money. I have the best equipment man in the world, former KGB before the change." Yuri grinned.

"Give me everything he can put on them, let's do something unique." Harry waved off the concern of money. "So tell me about this man who can get my phone. What's the deal?"

"Well if you could make a delivery for us, I'll have the man on the other end get your phone and give you a discount for your help. Hmm... you're an American so we'll need to get you some new papers but if you take care of your on travel costs, I'll take care of the papers."

"What am I delivering and where?" Harry asked warily, getting involved with black market smugglers wasn't quite on his list of summer plans, but it could be fun. And more papers meant more back up plans in case of an emergency...

"Twelve cases two meters by half meter by one quarter meter each, going to Santa Rosa, Cuba."

"Can they be shrunk without damaging the goods?"

"No, those are the dimensions after everything is packed and shipped."

Harry thought about it for a bit, well it was something to do and Cuba sounds nice. "Ok, I can take care of that. Now let's talk money and time."

"For the glasses, twenty five hundred galleons. The glasses, your new papers and the shipment will be ready in three days and must be delivered within ten. The phone your contact on the other end will have ready, and that will be twenty eight hundred."

"The timing is no problem. I'll give you twenty two for the glasses and twenty five for the phone."

"Your bargaining skills need work, twenty five each."

"That's acceptable. I'll return in three days."

"Before you go, I have one question."

"I can't promise an answer but feel free to ask."

"Why are you pretending to be Harry Potter behind the glamours?"

"He was my cousin. Just before I left Britain he was found dead at his home. He would find it quite humorous to be sighted alive and well in slums around the world." Harry answered with a smirk.

"Ah, I understand the deception in our line of work but picking a dead celebrity seemed odd."

"You have no idea how hard it was to get a lock of his hair."

Laughter ushered him out of the office.

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In preparation for his first foray into smuggling, Harry bought a few magazines at one of the news stands. In each magazine he carefully cut out one of the pages before making a pocket vault out of it before replacing it in magazine with a sticking charm along the edge. Each vault should hold two of the cases. He also included a few extra magazines as cover and recorded the names and pages in one of his personal vaults. The passwords were all the same, Caitiff. It was an archaic english word meaning a despicable person. He doubted the smugglers would get the joke. Harry apperated over to Yuri's place and went through the same routine.

"Right on time." Yuri told him as he came through the door. "Do you speak Japanese?"

"Hai!" Harry replied.

"Good because your new name is Yoshia Markarov. Your father was Russian, your mother Japanese. You were born in Moscow but your parents fled with you to Japan to escape conscription into the People's Army. Sign here and place your blood in the box." Yuri handed him a passport that said he was eighteen years old. "I've got friends in the department of records. So many problems in the records from the old days, they get lost or misfiled. Sometimes a little money helps them find some that were missing."

"I'll keep that in mind. So lead the way to the shipment and I'll get your money for the glasses."

They walked down the hall to another door which Yuri unlocked. Inside the cases were sitting on a table along with a small golden colored wood box. Harry opened the box hoping to find his glasses. Well, technically they could be called sunglasses, if you squinted, on a dark night, and were cross eyed. Oh heck, call an apple what it is, they looked weird. The left lens was round and ruby red. The right lens was an emerald green rectangle. The glasses had nice gold wire frames and fit perfectly besides the obvious problems. Harry just turned around and raised an eyebrow at Yuri.

"What? You said you wanted something unique." Yuri told him.

"Nevermind, so long as they work, I'm happy. Now give me a little privacy to work my wicked ways on these crates. A good magician never reveals his tricks."

A few minutes later Harry left the now empty room and handed Yuri his payment for the glasses.

"Is there anything else you need?" He asked.

"Well come to think of it, I could always use a few more language crystals. Do you think you can track down a bunch of dead languages? I'm looking for the most obscure and unknown ones I can find. Definitely the runic languages, maybe sanskrit, vedic, ancient egyptian, latin, and the like. Think you can find them?"

"Dead languages are called that for a reason, between convincing the scholars to undergo the extraction process which is painful, and making the illegal crystals without the patent holder permissions it could be costly."

"How's five thousand now sound and I'll be back in August?"

"It sounds like the bare minimum to interest me. Language crystals cost four hundred a piece on the open market."

"But you're not going through the regular profit ridden channels. Alright, five now and a thousand a piece when I next come by, so long as they aren't anything I could buy on the open market."

"That sounds like a fair deal, but only because I like you. That's a bit out of my normal realm but I know people who know people."

"Also, it appears I might spend a bit of time in England. With the way their civil war is going right now, I'm concerned about my safety and mental health. Let me know if you find anything interesting."

"For that you've come to the right man, interesting is my business. We will talk more when you return."

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Harry caught a phoenix to New York city, a bus to Boston, a thunderbird to Belize, a plane to Jamaica, and then another thunderbird to Cuba, swapping identities at every leg. He even used his real name on the muggle parts of his journey. He didn't have any real reason to do this, it just seemed like fun. It also got him stamps on his passports. Stamps are cool apparently, proof you've actually been to the places you claim, and it made the passports look older than they were.

"Bienviedos a la Republica de Cuba. Estas de Los Estados Unidos?" The customs official gave him a look for his clothing.

"No, soy de Russia. Mi nombre es Yoshia Markarov." Harry handed over his new passport.

"Anything to declare?"

"No, I'm just here on vacation."

The customs official searched his bag anyway and didn't find anything amiss. "Enjoy your stay Mr. Markarov."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer; A well placed bluff can get you anywhere. Occasionally though, you need to be able to back it up.

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Harry's first delivery had gone without a hitch and without revealing his pocket vaults. His new phone could call anyone anywhere in the world. It not only acted as a mobile phone but as a portable floo connection. If he wanted to call someone he just said their name to the phone and a series of complex tracking charms located the nearest phone or floo to the person and made the connection for him. He could of course store numbers for important people to cut down on the time required. Yuri and Armando (his cuban contact) were already in the phone as were a few others they thought might have work for him if he were interested. He still didn't know what he brought into the country and honestly didn't care so long as no one tried to kill him for it.

He spent the first week of July just laying on the beaches of Cuba enjoying the scenery (both types) and having a few drinks. He picked up a few local favorites and added them to his cache of hidden booze. He also picked up a charmed flask from a local vendor that would mix drinks for him from ingredients in his stores. He just had to say the name of the drink and pour out the perfectly mixed concoction at the perfect temperature. The waters around Cuba were the most beautiful blue he had ever seen. One afternoon he went out with one of the fishing boats that would hire out to tourists. The operators apparently knew where to look because that afternoon was some of the hardest work he had ever done. In the dorms, Seamus and Dean would sometimes trade stories of going fishing with their fathers or grandfathers. Seamus was particularly proud of having caught a six pound trout. Harry on the other hand learned the difference salt water fishing makes and had to bring in a fifty five pound dorado (dolphin/mahi mahi) and several large king mackerels around thirty pounds a piece. The fish put up quite a fight, but with some coaching from the pros Harry eventually brought them on board. After taking pictures with them, Harry gave the fish over to the fishermen to clean. They had a big cookout on the beach that night. Harry brought the fish, others brought beer or salad or side dishes. He wound up sleeping on the beach that night, a good looking young woman on his arm. They didn't do anything inappropriate, but it was still the best night's sleep he had experienced in years.

Reluctantly, Harry decided that he was done in the Island nation and decided to look for some place new to go. About the same time he came to this realization Armando called and asked if he was looking for another job. Harry eventually agreed and they bickered over payment. Initially Armando wanted to just pay his travel costs and owe him a couple favors but Harry was no fool. Though having men like Armando owe him was valuable on it's own, he started at a thousand galleons and the bargaining began in earnest. Eventually they settled on two hundred galleons, travel costs, and a set of papers claiming he was a citizen of Ecuador. He even got them to fake some school records for him, though this set was a bit less genuine and might not pass inspection if examined too closely. They were real, but the person he claimed to be was still alive and kicking elsewhere. And so it was that Harry found himself carrying a load of stolen technomanced computer chips and research journals to a man in California.

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"So why are these chips so important?" Harry asked the customer, Steven Clark, after his delivery was inspected and accepted.

"Well first of all they are still in testing and my company is making a similar product. The details of the chips and all the engineering behind them are covered in a special variant of the Fidelius Charm. We can work on our own to produce something similar, and even work along the same lines, but so long as the charm holds we will never know exactly how they achieve their results. The logbooks you brought are the equivalent of a note from the secret keeper and will allow us to study how to make or chips better than theirs." Steve explained.

"Ok, corporate espionage, that makes sense. So what do the chips actually do?"

"We are working on the next generation of security chips for technomancers' phones. They should be able to evade the current generation tracking magi-ware that allows you to call someone where ever they might be. Not everyone will be able to afford them, or even want them, but for VIPs, celebrities, politicians, and the like it will prevent them from being swamped with unwanted calls. It's a constant race to invent new ways of tracking and hiding people."

"Wow, I'll definitely be on the lookout for one of those when they come on the market. Thanks for the explanation."

"No problem."

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That week Harry took the equivalents of his OWL tests in the American system. He was licensed to perform magic in transfiguration, household and general charms, self defense, and handling of non-deadly magical creatures. His security and potions were tested and licensed for non commercial uses only. He was issued a license to create portkeys for personal use and groups up to five for non commercial use. His apparation skills were tested and it was deemed that he was not a danger to himself or others.

He was surprised that he managed to pass the security test. He had taken it to see what it covered and found that it was a survey of basic wards, concealment charms, glamours, certain potions, and strategy. With all the secrecy and "safety measures" he had been forced under all his life he should not have been surprised that he passed. The book Sirius had given him that talked about the blood wards was especially helpful. Since it was deemed that he would never need to erect security measures without reference materials, he was allowed and encouraged to use all his books when answering questions. The most obscure question on the test (for most people) was about the properties and effects of the original Fidelius Charm which many of the best modern defenses were based on. Given that he had extensive experience with houses under that charm he was able to answer intelligently if not in great technical detail. His favorite part of the test was to plan a security system for a home that was secure but not overly restrictive for a family to live in. His use of older methods still favored in Britain, with contemporary technomancy surprised the proctor. The proctor also had to borrow his books when he suggested the same set of wards that had protected him at Privet drive as a base combined with motion sensors and stunning traps controlled by switches to activate the defenses. Thankfully he wasn't tested on his actual ability to lay such wards, which was non existent.

He picked up several books on basic technomancy and incorporating muggle conveniences in a magical life to study as well. He hoped he could pass that test later. He realized that in just one of these books was most of the knowledge that Mr. Weasley had been tinkering with in his back shed, shunned by the Wizarding world still stuck in the middle ages. He picked up a great number of security books in hopes of finding defenses that would be unknown in England as well as learning to actually erect wards on his own. He grabbed a few books on spell craft, which was a simplified method of arithmancy based on tables and charts, and grabbed an arithmancer's graphing calculator from TMI (Texas Magical Instruments).

Since it had been nearly three weeks since his "death" Harry decided it was time to call someone back home and see how things were working out. He pulled out his phone and engaged the search function. "Nymphadora Tonks."

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The Order of the Phoenix was sitting in the study of Grimmauld Place having a meeting when the fireplace flashed green and a voice called out "Nymphadora Tonks."

Tonks turned to the fire, "Yes? May I help you?"

"Hey Cammy, this is youngest Marauder calling. I'm just checking to see if it's safe for me to show my face in Jolly Ol' England anytime soon or if ya'll are going to hunt me down."

"No there's no warrant out for your arrest. I can't talk now, we're kind of busy."

"Oh are ya'll having a fried chicken club meeting?" Most of the Order winced. "Put the boss man on I need to talk to him anyway."

"Show some respect to the Headmaster you impudent whelp!" Snape yelled at the fire.

"First of all, I'm not his student so he isn't my headmaster. Secondly last time I checked you all were in my home. Talk to me like that again and I'll evict you."

"This is Professor Dumbledore, what do you need to speak with me about?" The Headmaster asked.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I do not mind you using my house for your meetings but I do have some restrictions. With the exceptions of the Weasley and Granger families, your Order will confine themselves to the ground floor. You will not destroy family heirlooms nor discard so called "dark objects". I will take care of that. You will transfer control of all of your new wards to me and give me the fidelius secret. I won't demand to be secret keeper but you will not bar me from my property or attempt to confine me to it like you did my father. I told Auror Tonks this three weeks ago but have not seen your owl for an appointment."

"You are an incompetent schoolboy, why should we listen to you?" Snape sneered.

"Because if I have to come do it myself you might find yourself evicted. Don't mistake lack of formal education for incompetance. I warned you Snivellus."

"I don't know how you managed to floo us, but it isn't like you can find the place nor could you do anything if you could." Snape jeered.

"Now Severus..." The Headmaster placated.

"That's it, everybody pack your stuff! I'm going to come over there and rip your wards to shreds! You've got twenty minutes." The fire died.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 

Harry closed his phone angrily and began digging through his vault. He drank a dopple juice, scent hiding, mind occluding, and untraceable potion. Putting on his invisibility cloak and sunglasses he got ready for departure. He pulled out his wand and made a portkey. "Portus!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He landed on the walk leading up to the house and stumbled a bit with the landing, creating a portkey halfway around the world took a lot of effort and power. He slammed the front door on his way in and was not at all surprised to find the door to the Study locked and sealed. They seriously didn't believe he could get this far. The closed door was annoying but he decided to make and entrance rather than unlocking it and knocking politely. "Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!" Harry blasted the hinges holding the door in place and put a solid boot into the middle of the assembly. The door came crashing down revealing a stunned Order staring at an empty doorway.

"By right of Magic I claim this house as mine. As master of this home I command that the wards identify all persons inside my boundaries." The identifying wards activated and information flooded Harry's mind.

Moody's eye tracked Harry as he moved into the room wand drawn.

"As master of the house I ask the wards to repel intruders by any means available. The following people are no longer welcome in the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black; Severus Snape, Mundungus Fletcher, Albus Percival Wulf..." The wards flared to life and the named persons were bodily thrown from the room and out a window.

"Wait, Stop!" Dumbledore yelled before Harry could finish his name.

"I warned you to get moving. Did you think it was an empty threat? Discussing the Fidelius charm, it's variations, and your precious Blood Wards is what earned me my license in security and warding. You cannot hide what is rightfully mine from me." Harry removed his invisibility cloak, then pointed to someone hiding under one. "You, Auror Jones, if we're going to have a conversation it is polite for all parties to be able to see each other."

"You've got papers for warding and can see the invisible? I knew I liked you boy." Moody chuckled.

"I've also got papers that say I attended seven years of schooling in Ecuador. Doesn't make it real. What is real is that your pet death eater challenged me and lost. Now are you going to agree to my conditions or am I going to finish the eviction and place my own fidelius?" It was a bluff since he couldn't actually cast it yet but they couldn't prove that.

"At least the recognizes the need for vigilance." Moody mumbled approvingly.

"I suppose I must submit." Dumbledore said. Then his twinkle burst into full strength and a probe bounced off his mind. "I must ask how you managed to get in though. If there is a flaw in our wards we may not be safe. My identifier wards never alerted me to your presence."

"I'm sorry but thats a professional secret. I think the security here is adequate so I'm not going to waste my time telling you how to keep me out. Your safety is not my problem unless you are paying me and I'm not licensed to perform those services in Britain." Or anywhere else. "So why don't you go ahead and pass me control of your newer wards. We won't be needing the second identifier ward now that the family wards are back online. You are expressly forbidden from erecting new wards without prior notification and approval. This is my house, but I'm letting you use it."

"But we must remain safe and our headquarters secret." He protested.

"You're safe enough. You lot meet once a week to discuss what the enemy is doing and what you aren't doing in this little war. Maybe if you were actively engaging the enemy you might need a secure headquarters but if you are going to let a two bit criminal and a death eater in my home you obviously don't need it to be too secure. If you can't handle something as simple as asking for permission before modifying the wards then you need to find someplace else to gather."

"Very well, now if you would just relax the wards so Severus and Fletcher can return to the meeting we can get back to the important issues." Dumbledore reverted to his kind and lovable tone.

"Umm... Let me think about this... No. They are not welcome in any home I own. If their information is valuable they can report to you in your office but I will not have thieves and murderers in my house. And you have yet to relinquish the wards or give me the secret."

"But they are assisting in the greater good."

"And I don't give a rat's ass. So am I going to ask the aurors here to arrest you for trespassing or are you going to admit defeat? Unlike you I've got nothing to lose and a lot of money to waste. If my name gets dragged through the mud putting you in your place it won't bother me a bit." Certain members of the Order, mostly the younger crowd who thoroughly disapproved of how Harry and Sirius were handled, were barely able to hold in their cheers as "Simon" tore Dumbledore down time and time again not to mention his handling of Snape.

Like a petulant child Dumbledore eventually caved and turned over control and the secret. Harry already knew it of course but he had to play the part. As soon as Dumbledore finished transferring the wards Harry waved to the group before making a portkey and leaving the House. He never bothered to repair the door. When he arrived back in California he was exhausted and dropped himself into bed, visions of a whiny Snape and defeated Dumbledore making up his dreams. Given the physical distance between them, Harry never felt Voldemort become enraged as his spy reported that he could no longer sit in the full Order meetings.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer; In the magical world, nothing is what it seems; this is doubly true wherever Harry Potter is concerned. 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_ My dear Harry,_

_ I don't know why I am writing this really, you're dead. The counselor my parents sent me to said that sometimes it is a good idea to write a letter to the deceased and tell them what you never could in life. He told me it will help bring me closure, but I am not sure I want closure. I don't want to just forget my best friend. I don't want our time together to just become a fond memory. I want you back here beside me so I could hold you and never let you go. But you're gone now and short of some incredibly dark rituals that would only bring back a twisted mockery of life to your body, I'll never see you again. I'll admit I thought about it, but it wouldn't be YOU behind the face and thats all I want._

_ I never really told you how much you meant to me. From our very first year, you grounded me and kept me in the real world. You were my first real friend and certainly my most faithful. I don't think you were ever angry at me. You never said an unkind word and were quick to come to my defense when others did. I'll never know what you saw in me that made you come to be my friend. I know I was hard to be around at times. I was always to bossy and I had to have everything perfect. The happiest memories I have are of times when you came to me for help. You always made me feel needed and wanted. You made me feel like I was the only one in the world that could solve your problems when you could have got answers quicker and with less bossing from a teacher. Most of all you made me feel Hope. When I was just a young muggleborn first year, the magical world was a scary place. I read everything I could, but that didn't help. Even though you knew less than I did you came along and made me feel that everything would be fine because we were in this together._

_ But now I'm in it alone and I don't know what to do._

_ I love you Harry. I always have. I don't know if it is just the platonic love of two best friends, or if I might have really loved you. I guess I'll never know. I am not brave like you. I'm not smart like you. I know everyone thinks I'm the smart one but I could always see your intelligence right beneath the surface. I may have always been the first to get a spell, but you perfected them. You knew what you wanted and you went for it. I wish I had that. You were always kind, considerate, funny, and brave. You were my hero, but not the story book hero like Ginny saw. You were the type of hero that inspires others to become heroes too._

_ The most painful thing about your death is all the unanswered questions. I just don't understand why you died. Oh I understand that casting the killing curse on yourself is bound to do that, but why did you do it? The fake Moody taught us about the Avada Kedavra. He said that to perform an unforgivable you had to really mean it. You had to hate, you had to desire the death of the person you were casting at. Why did you hate yourself? How could things go so wrong that death was the answer? I'll never understand._

_ I used to go to church with my family when I was young, but I stopped after coming to Hogwarts. It all just seemed incompatible with magic. Now though, I'll take anything I can get. I went to church yesterday. The vicar talked with me about heaven and the judgement of all good souls. I don't even know if you were religious and it scares me. It scares me to think that even though you were one of the best people I ever met I might not ever see you again even in the afterlife. I've been praying for you though, asking God to look after you and take you in anyway. I just hope He's listening. They gave you a nice funeral, there weren't even any press. The owls flock to your headstone everyday, and the letters they leave are cleared away by the next morning. Such a simple looking grave, a name and some dates, right next to your parents. Aside from the letters you'd never know a hero was buried there. I guess that's probably how you would want it._

_ I miss you so much. I miss my best friend._

_ Hermione._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry read the note with tears in his eyes. Hedwig had arrived with it early one morning at the end of July. He read what his best friend had to say and it tore him inside. He knew that faking his death would hurt his friends, and he knew it would be hard not to tell them, but he couldn't have imagined such a simple heartfelt letter would hurt so much. It was so different from her usual carefully thought out and planned letters but at the same time he couldn't deny that she wrote it. It read almost like one of her tangents, the topics flowed from one to the next but lacked the cohesiveness that Hermione's letters usually had.

"Go to Hermione Hedwig, take care of her for me. She needs someone right now. I'll come home soon."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry eventually found a wand maker who could fit him. His new wand was made from the scales of a fire salamander and the skin of an electric eel. The wood was spruce, fourteen inches long with an opal set on the end of the handle. He had a long conversation with Dumbledore regarding his placement in Hogwarts. The Headmaster originally just wanted Harry to join the other fourth years since he was supposedly fourteen. Harry argued that he had been training since he was nine and could do most of the OWL curriculum. The headmaster however broke that idea by pointing out that he had not taken the OWL tests and it was too late to take the ones given to home schooled children at the ministry. In the end they compromised and had Simon coming in as a fifth year, a year above where his age would put him but a year below by skill level. Oh well it still kept him in prime position to watch over his friends.

He ran a few more errands for various parties and was paid pretty well once his reputation was established. Harry got sneaky and cast the patent protection variation of the fidelius charm on how his pocket vaults were made to ensure no one else could copy his style, even though only Yuri had actually seen the vaults used. The last thing he wanted was someone in a magical government to figure out how he moved things without detection. Aside from the possibility of jail time, it wouldn't do for such a useful tool to become illegal. He had become known for carrying a single book into meetings and when backs were turned money and goods mysteriously disappeared or reappeared. Aside from good pay and a little excitement, these little forays into the shady side of business let him feel out the international opinions on Riddle and his crew. Unsurprisingly the Americas wanted nothing to do with either side. Support and sympathy were a little stronger in central europe, particularly the Balkan states where ethnic tensions were very high. Russia was neutral, while France which had a larger population of magical beings and mixed blood wizards was firmly against the Dark Lord. Germany was mixed, racism and intolerance had a long history there but the world wars earlier in the century had wiped out the popular support for such ideas.

As August came to a close, Harry returned to Leningrad to see what Yuri and his band of troublemakers had scrounged up for him.

"Good, you've returned. Now maybe I get to take money from you for a change, yes?" Yuri clapped him on the back as he came in.

"Well that all depends on what you've managed to find for me but I'm agreeable to spending some hard earned coin."

"Well we had some trouble with the languages. We managed to find both Classical and Vedic Sanskrit, Runic Norse, Akkadian, Aramaic, and old Egyptian."

"Well that's six thousand I owe you, now what about the other things I was looking for? Stuff to help my safety and mental health in a war torn country."

"Not so fast my friend. Like I said we had some trouble. Also, these are the master crystals so you can make copies if you have empty crystals. It will be nine thousand."

"Well this once I suppose I can handle that since you only took it as a favor to me. Now what else do we have?"

Yuri led him over to a table where several objects were covered with a cloth. He removed the cloth with a grin on his face. "Like I said, interesting is my business."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Yuri, I want to buy your equipment man a hooker..."

ooooooooooo

Harry boarded the Hogwarts express on the first of september with everybody else and went to find a compartment. To save materials we was only covered in his catalog glamours, some of which were new enough that they might fool Moody's eye. Fortunately they weren't put to the test since Moody wasn't at the station. To stretch his supplies, he had cast an enlargement charm on the lock of hair from Simon before grinding it in a mortar and pestle. He normally only added a grain or two to his dopple juice but even so he worried that he might need it someday and so didn't use it if he could avoid it. He wondered what would happen if he cut off some hair while he was under the potion and used that for a base, but he hadn't gotten around to testing it yet.

He slipped into a compartment near the back of the train and sat down to read one of his spell craft books. He was still working on a powerful variation of a glamour charm to rid himself of his dependancies. The books told him that a combination of parseltongue, pain sacrifice, and a non-latin incantation might help muddy the spell's signature enough to avoid it being broken. He didn't know what spells were on Moody's eye but decided that when he could fool his own glasses he would relax the paranoia a few steps, as it was the best he could do was make himself blurry and indistinct to the glasses. As he was making notes on the numerical values of parseltongue, Luna joined him in the compartment.

"Oh hello. They told me you were dead. It was a nice funeral as far as funeral's go. Those are very nice glasses." She just gave him a dreamy smile.

"Hello Luna. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about that. I needed some space and privacy."

"If you want. You really should tell certain people though. Your friends took it rather hard."

"I'll try, I just cannot take being manipulated anymore. I had no real control over my life."

"So who are you and what year will you be in?"

"I'm Simon Black, fifth year. I haven't been sorted but I think it's a safe bet that I'll be joining you and Ginny in your classes."

"That will be nice. I understand you can't exactly restart the DA but can you still help me with my defense?"

"Of course, what are friends for."

Luna beamed at him when he called her a friend. Neville joined them in the compartment dragging his trunk with one hand and struggling to hold Trevor with the other. Introductions were made and Simon thanked them both for going to department of mysteries to try to save his father. They talked for a few moments but then reverted back to reading or studying. After the prefect meeting, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione arrived. The introductions were made again for Ron and Ginny, who had heard about his taking the Order down a notch from their older brothers. The mood became a lot quieter and Harry could see the impact his death had on his friends. It was all he could do to not just break down and apologize and beg forgiveness. It was into this somber atmosphere that Draco Malfoy made his usual appearance.

"Well I see Loony, two weasels, a coward, and a mudblood, but where's potty? Oh that's right..." -**BZZZT**- Harry who was sitting by the door calmly removed a black rod from it's hiding place and touched it to his side before Malfoy dropped to the ground twitching. He didn't even look up from his book. After poking him a few more times with his improved cattle prod, Harry rifled through his pockets for anything interesting. Finding nothing he gave a couple flicks of his wand to shove him down the hall before closing the door.

Everyone but Luna was staring at him. "What? He was insulting."

"Mate, you have no idea how satisfying that was to watch. What did you do to him?" Ron asked.

"Just hit him with my taser a few times. It's part muggle stun gun and part magic. It combines one hundred thousand volts of electricity with a stunning spell. Painful but not permanently damaging."

He got blank looks from everyone but Hermione. "You could get in serious trouble for that. That's a misuse of a muggle artifact."

"No it is an **_innovative_** use of a muggle artifact. You could even say it is an improved use. But it isn't a misuse, the magic was making it serve it's original purpose more efficiently."

"It doesn't matter to the ministry." She told him.

"They have to prove I have it first. I haven't been caught yet having something I shouldn't." Just then his phone rang. "Hold on a second. Markarov here, what do you need?" A pause, "Sorry Armando, no can do. I'm tied up until the second weekend in October." "Well what about Anthony, can't he do it?" "Oh the Aurors finally caught on?" "Well how much does it pay?" "No, I'm sorry but I can't make any deliveries for that right now. Call me in October I've got a weekend free then and the third weekend in November. Bye."

"And just what was that?" Hermione glared at him.

"Technomancer's phone. Connects to both the floo network and muggle phones, and it takes messages if I don't answer. I can call anyone in the world. If I don't know the number I just have to use the built in tracking charms and it will call the nearest phone or floo point."

"That's probably illegal too, but I meant the phone call. You answer with another name, talk about someone getting caught by aurors, and then bargain about payment for a delivery you can't make. Are you some kind of criminal?"

"No, I am a delivery boy who is paid very well not to ask what he is delivering. I'm just a boy trying to make an honest living." He gave them some puppy dog eyes over his freakish looking glasses.

"How much was he willing to pay you?" Ron asked.

"Five hundred galleons, but I'm supposed to be in school here so I can't just run off every night taking things from Cuba to Venezuela and back."

"Well at least you have priorities." Hermione sniffed. "So how much does one of those phones cost?"

"Well a basic model only costs one hundred and fifty galleons in Tokyo, but mine is top of the line and normally sells for around three thousand. The basic models will still connect to both networks but only the local ones and they have to pay for every time they use the search features. Mine connects to any floo or phone network in the world, takes messages, and has unlimited searchs at no additional cost."

"So if I had one of those I could call my parents from Hogwarts?"

"I thought you said it was illegal."

"My parent's worry about me, especially with everything that has happened recently." She looked depressed as she spoke.

"Cheer up Hermione, Harry doesn't want you to feel like this. You need to look on the bright side of life and remember to smile. I'll pick you up a phone either on the first Hogsmeade weekend or if I sneak out before then. And remember, if you need anything at all I'll be happy to help."

She looked at him with watery eyes before giving him a hug. As the bushy hair covered his face a quiet voice whispered in his ears, "You said doesn't not wouldn't. Thank you."

"I can't confirm that." He whispered back.

"But it's enough."

Louder he said, "And if you won't report me for my muggle inspired objects, I won't report you."

oooooooo

When the train stopped in Hogsmeade Harry got out and followed the first years to the boats. It was rather humorous, looking back he never remembered being as small and scared as some of these first years were. They crossed the lake and heard the traditional explanation about houses and points from McGonagall. Apparently she never changed her speech since it was the same one he heard in his first year. The song gave warning once again about the need for a united front but Harry doubted the students would listen. After all the first years were sorted, Dumbledore stood to speak.

"We have one more student to sort tonight. Simon Black has decided to join us at Hogwarts and will be starting as a fifth year. I want you all to show him support as he adjusts to life at our school. Simon, please come forward to be sorted."

Harry walked up the aisle and put the hat on once again. "Welcome back Mr. Potter. So you need to be resorted? Can I tempt you with Slytherin this time? Your recent actions prove you have the cunning. No, the poor dears wouldn't survive a week if I put you there. I see you're finally using that sharp mind. Oh, and the loyalty and dedication to your friends was the only thing to bring you back... You could do well in any of the houses now, but one house will need you now that you're gone. I'll put you back in GRYFFINDOR!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer; If you're hoping for my writing to get better... Sorry. It's unlikely that will happen just yet. I try to improve but I'm a million years off of becoming JKR, the talented author who actually owns these characters and setting.

oooooooooooooooooo

As Simon was heading to the Gryffindor common room from the sorting feast, he ran into a slight problem. He took his usual route back to the tower, using a couple of secret passages to avoid walking around classrooms and such. As he left one of these passages he wasn't paying too much attention until he suddenly felt two wands press into his sides and two voices as one incanting the stunning spell. His world faded to darkness. His attackers covered him in an invisibility cloak and levitated him behind themselves as they navigated the corridors. They approached a room that was forgotten by all but a few, tickled the statue in just the right way and said the password. Once inside they set him in a chair and tied him down to ensure they got answers. One of the men removed the stunning curse after sealing the room and enacting several privacy spells. Simon opened his eyes and took stock of the four men in front of him.

"I'm screwed aren't I?" Harry dropped all pretense of an accent.

"That was a pretty good idea, but your execution was too amateur Potter." Moody told him. "At first glance everything was too perfect. Then once I started digging it was sloppy and only half thought out."

"What gave me away?" He asked.

"Well anyone - who's been on the receiving end - of a Potter Rant - would recognize - what happened at the order meeting." The Weasley twins informed him in their stereophonic way.

"Your corpse only smelled like you because it was wearing your clothes." Remus chipped in. "And your photo album was missing."

"That was the same trick Barty Crouch Jr. used to escape his prison cell. And the Goblins refuse to release the Will of someone who isn't dead." Moody reminded him.

"Damn, so I guess this means I'm to be dragged to Dumbledore now and made to submit again?"

"Not exactly. So far as we know he hasn't put all the pieces together yet. He's too focused on the fact that the prophesy shouldn't have allowed you to die by your own hand since "either must die at the hands of the other". He doesn't believe that you are completely dead but rather in a spirit form like Voldemort once was. Make no mistake though, Albus Dumbledore is no fool, he will find out you are alive eventually and then he will bring his full influence to bear on finding you. Once he does, "Simon" will be first on his list since your friends had very genuine reactions to the news of your demise." Remus told him.

"He told you the prophesy then?"

"One of the best things to come out of this whole mess." Moody grunted. "Your suicide note raised a few interesting questions that he was forced to answer, especially since he refused to believe you were completely dead. I don't understand why he has never given you extra assistance if he has known this since your birth."

"The headmaster is of the opinion that Love will be what ultimately defeats the Dark Lord." Harry told him defeatedly. "So I can understand how you knew I wasn't dead. How did you know I was pretending to be Simon?"

"Once we knew you weren't dead that was the easiest part. Moony told us you never had a scent around him. Moody complained of layers of glamours concealing the same face, and Simon's escape and constant travels remind us of how you play quidditch. You are constantly on the move unless you see your target, then you dive in do some damage and disappear again. Put this together with the knowledge that you were not dead and Simon appeared barely a week before hand and we'd have to be idiots not to know." Fred and George explained. "We suspected that you were connected before the incident at headquarters, but that sealed the deal."

"So where do we go from here? Are you going to turn me in or can I quit thinking of ways of overpower you and escape?"

"You've been stalling." Moody said. It wasn't a question. "In my mind you've made two things clear. Firstly you do not want the assistance of the Order in your safety. Second when desperate your behavior becomes erratic and unpredictable. I'm not one to force my help where it is not wanted, and unpredictable duellers are the ones responsible for most of my scars. If you want our help, we'll give it because it looks like you are the only way out of this war. I'm going to stay neutral in your little feud with the Headmaster though. I won't help you flaunt him, but I also won't turn you in."

"You've always been like our little brother. We're behind you in the ways you'll have us." The twins voiced their support.

"You really shouldn't have to ask." Remus said as Harry looked at him.

"Thanks, I really appreciate the support. So are the ropes really necessary?"

"That depends. Now that you've had time to think about it, what mistakes did you make tonight that lead to you being trapped here?" Moody asked.

"Hold on a minute and let me think. I've been too busy figuring out how to escape to consider how I was caught... Well there are two obvious things that stick out. I should not have taken Harry's favorite route back to the dorms. Because you knew where I was going to be, it was not hard to set up an ambush."

"Good, and the second?"

"I should have been prepared. I fell into the trap of assuming Hogwarts was safe and my secret secure."

"Constant Vigilance, you're learning. Now what are you going to change for the future?"

"The first thing I am going to do is research a ward or charm I can place on a portkey so that if someone ever does succeed in stunning me again I won't be around long enough for them to capture me. I'll also remember not to show too much familiarity with the castle."

"That's a good start, but you're forgetting something really important."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Your identity is flimsy at best. You need to work hard and fast to establish a rock solid background before people start looking."

"I'm a bit out of my depth now, what would you recommend?" Harry asked the older man.

"Admitting your limitations, good. Right now, the trail of Harry Potter dies with all fingers pointing at you. The important players won't be fooled much longer so you might as well begin laying false trails. Since you seem to be so great at making portkeys, use them and plant some false evidence. What else have you picked up over the summer that might be useful?"

"Well despite what I claimed at headquarters I'm not actually very good at working with wards so that is out. I know enough to pass the tests, but my license is more of them admitting I won't kill myself or others with a stupid mistake. I bluffed my way out that night. I'm good at making portkeys, secrecy charms, glamours, I picked up several new languages, a few potions, and I am really good at hiding things. My strongest areas are still those that require brute force or power and not finesse. My strategy is barely adequate but getting better daily. Oh and I've got luck that often makes me think I'm in a badly written fairy tale." Harry admitted.

"Well everyone will be expecting you to blunder along and leave a trail a blind man could follow. You are not known for your subtlety which is why the ruse of your death has held this long. People's grief is wearing off and they'll find out soon. The easiest course of action would be if Simon had smuggled Harry out of the country somehow since we know you fled that night. You helped him escape and set him up somewhere but now that you're gone he's becoming more noticable. If you admit that much after sufficient interrogation and you fabricate enough evidence to support it you might succeed in diverting their efforts for a little while. Unfortunately the more evidence you create of your existence, the sooner you will be discovered."

"I'll think about how to accomplish that. Is there anything else?"

"Polyjuice and glamours only work so far. What will happen when you end up in the hospital wing again? If you weren't lying about your possibly being a metamorph, learn to control it or else you are sunk. In any event you have the resources so you should try to set up a safe house or two in case you need to run again. Despite what Dumbledore seems to believe, having the most heavily warded structure in Britain is not the way to maintain a hideout. Find someplace small and in an area you wont be expected. Light wards if any at all. Make absolutely sure that the place cannot be traced to you or they will find you. The secret to a good safe house is security through obscurity and more exits than entrances. Lay up a few supplies if you can without attracting attention."

"Thank you for the advice sir. And thanks to you guys for not turning me in."

"No problem, we wouldn't turn you in."

"Just make sure this is worth it. You've hurt a lot of people and left yourself pretty open. Don't get caught." Remus patted him on the shoulder. He and Moody left, taking Moody's cloak with them.

"Gred, Forge, can you two help me out with something?"

"Sure thing, we do still owe you a favor or two after all." Fred told him.

Harry opened his book and flipped to the correct page where he kept his potions. Shielding the book from view with his body, he opened it and pulled two doses of dopple juice out. He added the ghost of a dusting with the hair to each of them before shaking them and handing them to the twins. "It looks like I need to make an appearance while staying visible here at the same time. Would you like to be victims or accomplices?"

"You know we're always up for a spot of trouble. What do you need?"

"Well I think that next tuesday I'm going to the States and could use a body double. Could one of you be a stand in for my afternoon classes? They're five hours behind us so I'll give them time to wake up."

"I'll do it." George said. "Fred's got a date that night and we wouldn't want to ruin his good looks with a potion."

"Oi! Last time I had a date you slipped something in my drink that turned me purple with green polka dots."

"I had forgotten about that. So how did the date go?" George admitted.

"We had a lot of fun plotting revenge."

"Ah, that would explain why my hair fell out two days later."

"Guys, not to break up the party but there is one other thing I would like to ask."

"Ask away, O partner in crime." Fred piped up.

"How busy is the store these days? Would you have time to let me rent your skills for an hour a day without disrupting business?"

"Business is great, but we expect a temporary lull in demand now that Hogwarts is back in session. In a few weeks everyone will have used their supplies and owl order more."

"Despite what Snape says about your skills, I've noticed that most of your products have a potion component. I'm going to need a steady supply of my potions if I am going to keep up the disguise throughout the year. I think it would be safer to pay someone else to make them than having to find a place in the castle to do it and risk detection."

"We could get in big trouble if we were caught making polyjuice. It's a controlled potion and buying large quantities of Boomslang skin would be a large tip off. I think we might have to pass. We like you and will fight beside you, but dementors and azkaban give us the screaming willies."

"I'm not asking you to make polyjuice, though I am not surprised in the least you know what's in it." He pulled out his potions book and cast a spell to copy the recipe onto a piece of parchment. "Would you be able to make me enough of this for one dose per day? I'll gladly cover the ingredients cost and whatever you think is fair for your time and effort."

The twins took the time to examine the parchment and read through the process. George spoke for them both. "It's a tough potion but nothing unreasonable. The two weeks it takes to brew have the work fairly evenly distributed and the ingredients are all things we use in our store anyway. We doubt anyone would notice that our weekly ingredient purchases changed a bit, we're always experimenting. Let us check what the laws say and if it isn't expressly forbidden, we'll give it a shot. If it is, we might know some people and we'll ask if they're agreeable."

"If we were still in school, your answer would almost certainly be yes. More laws are broken in this school per capita than any other community in Britain and almost nothing ever happens. Now though we are reputable businessmen and have our store and livelihoods to consider."

"I understand completely guys. Thanks for considering it. I'll floo you later in the week to see what the verdict is."

oooooooooooooo

On Wednesday Harry was due for a class he both feared and anticipated, Potions. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that Snape was going to be the same arrogant bastard he always had been. Aside from the animosity between Snape and his supposed father, Simon himself had provoked the man over the summer. The only question was how much Harry's fame had added to the abusive attitude. On the plus side, the fifth year Gryffindors shared potions with Ravenclaw students so there was less likely hood of thrown ingredients ruining his potions. The classroom door slammed open and Snape waited out of view until people relaxed before suddenly sweeping into the room catching them off guard and shouting at him.

"Black, time to see how much you managed to learn while eating out of rubbish bins. If I were to brew essence of Syrian Rue with Caapi Vine, and bubble the smoke of white sage leaves through it, what would be the effects and potential uses for this potion?"

"Don't know."

"You will speak english when you answer me, we have pronouns and complete sentences in this country. Ayahuasca is a sacred potion used to inspire vision quests and open means of communication with the beyond. What would you expect to occur if you consumed a brew of blue water lily, sacred lotus, and white passion flower?"

"I would be lethargic and listless?" Harry vaguely recalled Homer's Odyssey and something about people who consumed lotus.

"Incorrect, twenty points from Gryffindor for being unprepared for class. You will write me two feet on the uses of potions in Divination before this Friday. I shouldn't be surprised that you're worthless like your murderer of a father, Sirius Black."

The class gasped at his the name, the support for Harry's repeated claims of his innocence was obviously lacking and now he would suffer socially for it. He somehow managed to escape the period without a detention but he suspected Snape was just gloating about destroying his reputation before it ever formed. It was no surprise really, he had done the same to Lupin. Snape still took nearly fifty points from Gryffindor over the course of the lesson. It looked like Potions was business as usual then.

oooooooooooooo

Tuesday George showed up to sub in his classes for him, which would be Transfiguration and History of Magic. He promised to avoid causing trouble if he could avoid it. Harry meanwhile was taking a phoenix from Hogsmeade to Atlanta, Georgia, USA. After coming through customs as Markarov, he wandered the streets waiting for the Department of Magical Affairs to open at nine thirty. As soon as they were open Harry Potter, with no potions or spells concealing his appearance for the first time in months and dressed in his Hogwarts robes, entered the building and proceeded to the office that dealt with immigration and naturalization. He gave them his information and filled out the first few forms in the process of getting a magical equivalent of a green card. He knew that they would have to check with the British Ministry for outstanding warrants and a criminal history at the least, and that the Ministry was leaky like a sieve. He paid cash to rent an apartment and listed it as his residence on the forms. The apartment was pre-furnished, but he transfigured a few napkins into posters and the like to give it the personal touch. The most obvious was a shield bearing the Gryffindor Lion in red on field of gold. A stag stood on hind legs against one side, a wolf against the other, with a shaggy looking dog sleeping against the base. The poster bore the caption "Marauders stand true." If there was anything in the apartment that screamed "Harry Potter lives here." it was that poster, hung above the bed. It was a spur of the moment decision, but Harry decided that Simon needed one like it back at Hogwarts.

Before leaving Atlanta he stopped to buy a basic model technomancer's phone for Hermione. His phoenix back to England dropped him in Edinburg where he sent the phone to himself at Hogwarts via owlpost. He thought it best if he just received it at dinner where she could see and giving it to her in private rather than tipping Hermione off that he had left the country even briefly. When he apperated to Hogsmeade he sent a message spell to George that he was back. They passed each other in the tunnel and George drank the canceling potion as he headed to Honeydukes. Harry managed to give Hermione the phone without too many questions being raised.

That night in the quiet Gryffindor dormitories, behind the silenced curtains of her bed, Hermione Granger was reading the instruction manual to her phone. She paid particular attention to the parts concerning the tracking magi-ware and the abilities to connect to multiple phone and floo networks. Deciding the nearly three galleon fee was worth it (thirteen sickles for the global connection, two galleons for a full featured search) for this call, Hermione picked up her phone.

"Search, Harry James Potter."

Elsewhere a phone rang and a sleepy hand reached for it...

oooooooooooo

A/N; Yay cliffie. I know a lot of people have been waiting for this scene. I've recieved some criticism for my first chapter, to the effect that the letter from beyond/care package was blatant Deus Ex Machina. While I won't bother trying to refute it because it is true, I will say it is not completely beyond reason. I know for a fact that my brother in the military has a manila envelope and package I am supposed to bring to certain people if he dies in the line of duty. I don't know what it says or contains, but I imagine knowing my brother it is probably final words of encouragement/reconciliation/advice. People who know there is a real chance they may die do not leave loose ends if they can avoid it.

Sirius knew that the war was on his doorstep and while he may not have known when or how ahead of time, I don't think a man forward thinking enough to avoid Aurors and Death Eaters alike for nearly three full years didn't have contingencies out the wazoo. Maybe it's fanon not canon but I always saw Sirius as the "just in case" man of the Marauders. James had ideas and pulled them off. Remus figured out how to make them work. Wormtail was the lookout/sneaky bastard. Sirius thought of the million and one ways a plan could fail and fixed them.

Given that mindset, and the knowledge that he may die any day in a war, it shouldnt be surprising that he left a message and supplies to carry out his last wish with a solicitor. If he survived long enough to implement his plans by himself, he could just pick up the package and letter from the solicitor and move forward. But if he died, then the plan was still set to move forward without him.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer; This is a fluff chapter. While some things pertaining to plot will be discussed, it doesn't really move forward. If you want to ignore any "shippy" moments, skip this chapter. Some people will not like it, others will. I'm going to ignore both flames and praise, because it won't necissarily happen like you think it will anyway.

ooooooooooooooo

_That night in the quiet Gryffindor dormitories, behind the silenced curtains of her bed, Hermione Granger was reading the instruction manual to her phone. She paid particular attention to the parts concerning the tracking magi-ware and the abilities to connect to multiple phone and floo networks. Deciding the nearly three galleon fee was worth it (thirteen sickles for the global connection, two galleons for a full featured search) for this call, Hermione picked up her phone. _

_"Search, Harry James Potter." _

_Elsewhere a phone rang and a sleepy hand reached for it... _

":indistinct mumble: What do you need?" Harry answered still half asleep.

"Harry? Is it really you?" Hermione was practically giddy.

"I should have known it was you. Who else would call me this time of night?" Harry shook himself awake. "So I take it he got my package to you."

"Yes! Now I can call my parents and talk to you whenever I need."

"That's great Hermione. Don't tell anyone else please? So was I your first call or your second?"

"You were first of course! I've known you were alive for over a week and couldn't contact you! Hedwig wouldn't take my letters."

"Yes, your last letter was interesting. I'm sorry I worried you but life was a bit suffocating at home, I was desperate."

"You're sorry? Oh no you're not, but you will be! When I get my hands on you I'll show you sorry! Do you have any idea how much it hurt us when we thought you killed yourself?"

"Threatening me already? I thought you loved me." He teased her.

"I do, but that doesn't mean I can't tear you to pieces when you get back here."

"So I take it we can safely say it's just platonic since you want to kill me not kiss me?"

"Oh you're such a prat! I swear, I don't know what I was thinking."

"No, calm down Hermione. Let's stop joking and talk seriously for minute. I shouldn't tease you and I'm sorry. I hope you don't take this poorly but while I love you dearly, I am not in love with you. You're a good friend and one of only two at Hogwarts who know I'm alive. While I'll admit you were one of the girls who made me start noticing girls, you've got a nice bum when you bend over to pick something up; you've never really set off fireworks for me."

"So there's no chance of anything happening between us?"

"Not right now at least. Aside from my being on the run we're both unstoppable forces of nature. You are driven to perfection and excellence while I long to be average. I am constantly fighting and have a disregard for rules while you would much rather curl up with a nice book. You know I'll always be there for you if you need it, but I don't think I can be there in "that way"."

"Oh." She sounded as if she had just realized it too and was a little disappointed. "It's just for so long I had always assumed I would end up with either you or Ron, and once I realized Ron really did have the emotional depth of a teaspoon..."

"Hermione, I never thought I would see the day that I ended up handing out advice on people's love lives. I really don't think that me not being Ron is a great basis for a romantic attachment. You shouldn't love someone for who they aren't, you should love them for who they are. There are other men in the school and world than Ron and I."

"You don't think it will change things between us if I decide to start dating someone we don't know as well?"

"It will change things for you, but life is about change. As your friend Hermione, I want to see you happy and healthy. If you find someone who can do that for you then I'll give them a chance no matter who they are."

"You've grown up over the summer." Hermione said with a bit of pride.

"No I didn't, I just grew older. But I've had a lot of time to think and your letter gave me some direction for the thinking."

"Is Ginny is out of the running too? If I were allowed to reveal you were not dead, I might have to change my bet in the pool."

"Um Hermione, two things. First if I am dead why hasn't the pool closed? Second, have you ever seen pictures of my mother? I was working on my album this summer and one of Ginny's pictures fell over my parent's wedding picture... Let's just say that settled that. Red hair, freckles, light build... Not for me thanks."

"Ewww... That would be creepy. So who else? Luna? Pavarti? Oh it's Tonks isn't it? Well Voldemort came back, some people think you might come back too."

"Why do you assume that I'm single? You don't know where I am. You clearly don't know what time it is. So for all you know I might not even be alone right now."

"Boys! You let them out of your sight for one second and they drop out of school and start living a life of sin." She ranted to herself in annoyance.

"I'm not guilty of either of those. Look, I'm going to go back to bed. If you want to call me do it between ten thirty and eleven on the weekends alright?"

"Why only then? I can't call you just to talk?"

"With the time difference those are days I can stay up and you can go to bed early. Just press Isa-Ingwaz-Mannaz on the phone to save my number."

"Hmm... Frozen, Family Ties, Self Awareness. Save a friend's information. That makes sense."

"Do you have to analyze what the runes mean? I just know those are the buttons the manual said to press."

"A little more learning couldn't hurt! Goodnight Harry. I'm glad you're ok."

"Goodnight Hermione, it was good to hear from you too."

Oooooooooooooo

Ancient Runes was Harry's most difficult class, he had not had the previous two years to ground him in the subject. He did take advantage of the Norse and Egyptian languages he had implanted to help him recognize the individual runes, but half of the class was about their interaction and uses rather than their meanings or how they are cast. As a consequence he spent quite a bit of time studying the subject, and was grateful he hadn't taken arithmancy as well. The extra work might have really tested his time management skills.

He enjoyed the subject as it tied in strongly with warding and traps that did not require constant attention. After some soul searching he had realized that while he had a strong sense of justice, the job of Aurors was both clerical and political. Aurors worked for the ministry and were forced to occasionally enforce laws they may not agree with. Security had become not only his obsessive hobby, but a serious opportunity. It was a career based on keeping people safe, but one where he could be selective about his clients. As a result his study sessions were focused on the practical aspects of the subject.

It was in one of these sessions that Harry and Luna discovered some common ground. The two of them had found an unused classroom and began their work. Harry's attempts to ward a simple piece of parchment were being met with mixed success. Harry enjoyed the challenge, and Luna enjoyed the explosions while offering peculiar and inspired advice. Her advice was occasionally useful but had some interesting side effects. Once after taking her advice he reached the same level of effectiveness but the explosion changed color from orange to blue. Somehow Harry felt this was her intention because she clapped and laughed as he lost his eyebrows for the third time. Eventually the two of them were able to combine the runes, lines, and spells to create a piece of parchment that they were unable to remove from the desk.

"Well that was unexpected." Harry said.

"Why didn't you key yourself into the wards?" Luna asked him.

"Well I had to make sure they worked didn't I?"

"You could have asked me, or just used a revealer spell." She reminded him.

"I've been meaning to ask, how do you know what needs to be done? And how in the world did you know who I was on the train?"

"I can see auras and magical emanations. Everyone looks different in their auras and you have always been unique. The spells and runes seem to glow for me."

"That makes sense I suppose. So what are we going to do with it now?"

Luna squealed with delight. "Overload it and let's watch it blow up again! What runes will you need and where?" She slipped into tutor mode.

"Umm… Jera-Eihwas-Elhaz? Symbols or reward, life and death, and protection, at twelve, four, and seven. We want to bring the protections to an end so we use the rewarding rune Jera to charge the scheme. Given too much power the runes will go from life to death with the influence of Eihwas. Elhaz the rune of protection focuses the power on the ward instead of the parchment?"

"Good but use them at half past one, six, and nine. The protections will still fail but at least it will be pretty!"

"Luna, sometimes you scare me. Did you know that?"

"I know, but you think I'm cute so you hang around anyway." She said as if it were obvious.

"That's not the only reason! You make it sound like I was trying to ask you out."

"Hmmm… No, talk around the women's wash room is that if you were doing that you would stutter and blush. Less flirting, more explosions! Then you can help me with my patronus."

Harry used his wand to draw the runes in the air over the parchment in the same way the memory of Tom Riddle wrote his name. After the runes were in place, Harry drew a series of lines to tie together the runes on the parchment and the ones in the air in an intricate spider web or power. As he charged the new scheme, the parchment began pulsing with different colored light. When each rune reached maximum charge the color changed and the next rune began. Eventually the whole set was a steady green and blew up with a shower of sparks. Luna cheered.

"Aright now that you've helped me in runes, I'd be happy to help you with defense." Harry told her. "Where did you want to start?"

"Well I have been having problems with my patronus spell. I'm pretty sure I have the wand movement right, and I know the incantation, but I just cannot get a well defined animal. I can tell it has four legs and a tail, but it lacks definition."

"I think you might need to work on the quality of your happy memory and maybe your visualization. What are you using as your happy memory?"

Luna blushed as she explained, "I thought that my first kiss from a boy would work."

"That sounds like the perfect memory to use. What's wrong, did he turn out to be a jerk?" Harry was mystified.

"No! He is really nice. It's just…" Luna looked flustered for a minute, and then she suddenly seemed to pull herself together.

"Luna? What…" He was cut off as she gently pulled him down and gave him a sweet lingering kiss.

"Shhh… Thank you Harry, you've always been nice to me and you've helped me a lot."

"My name is Simon, please try to remember that. I always have time to help my friends. Try the spell now."

"I'm sorry, I won't mess up again Simon." She was genuinely contrite over her slip. "Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery-white creature sprung from her wand and looked around the room for something to defeat. It resembled a wild boar except for the single horn that protruded from its head. The horn was long, but formed a crushed helix instead of being straight. Finding nothing to protect against, it returned to Luna before fading away.

"Was that a crumple horned snorkack?" Harry asked her.

"I always wondered what they looked like."

"That was very good, but can you do it again without my help?"

"I think so. I'm sorry Simon; I shouldn't have just forced you like that."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, it isn't a big deal. You make it sound horrible. I'm not sorry. If nothing else you can protect yourself better now."

"Was it a good kiss? I have only ever read about them but I think it was the way I would want to be kissed." She examined her shoes, afraid of his rejection.

"It was very sweet Luna. One day you will find someone who will treat you like you deserve."

"Do you really think so? Who would love Loony Luna?"

"I know so. You just need to have faith. If you can have faith in animals and places you've never seen, should it be so hard to have faith in love?"

"Do you think… Icouldpracticewithyou?" She blushed again.

"Practice? I've got a lot of things in my life right now, but if you've got time to tutor me I will have time to help you in whatever way you need. Just don't ask for anything I can't give you, and when you find the right guy, just let me know alright?"

"Except for runes, you are doing the same classes you took last year. How can you be busy?"

"I'm doing three years of ancient runes, studying wards and spell crafting on my own, living a false life, and leading some of the brightest minds in the world away from the truth of my identity. All of that and I still haven't found out how I am going to deal with Voldemort."

"Why live a false life? Do what you want, and don't be ashamed. Didn't you ever want to do things but couldn't because everyone was watching the great boy who lived? Be yourself without the outside expectations or rules. It will prevent you from ever slipping out of character."

"Coming from you that makes so much sense. I never really developed hobbies or did much outside of classes, quidditch, and foiling evil plots. Now I understand just a little bit more about what it must be like to be you."

"Being yourself is easier than being someone else. I wouldn't give up the foiling of evil plots just yet though. It was fun to see the look in their eyes when they realized a schoolgirl is winning."

"Wait until you see it from the big V himself, now that is magic!"

Harry used the discussion of foiling evil plots to work the conversation back into areas he was a bit more comfortable. After a bit more practice with the patronus charm where Harry was not required to remind Luna of her happy thought, they moved on to shields and defensive techniques. Luna commented that with the exception of stunning spells and disarming spells, she and Ginny were very limited with their spell choices at the Ministry. Harry resolved to look up some effective combat spells that could effectively stop a death eater without killing them and could not be undone simply. Broken bones and insanity would certainly prevent them from rejoining the fight. When they stopped the session for dinner, Luna gave Harry a hug and another kiss on the cheek. He didn't know quite where Luna was going to take her "practice" but he hoped she wouldn't get too attached or end up hurt.

Ooooooooooo

As time went on, Harry took Mad Eye's advice and had changed Simon's appearance a little bit each day. He constantly adjusted his glamours or applied cosmetic charms, even between classes. The idea was that he was establishing himself as a metamorph and could eventually use other forms. He had some minor skill in shifting, but the training was going incredibly slow and he did not have enough natural ability to work the major changes he would need. After weeks of work (he had started over the summer), he could lighten or darken his hair and eyes but the scar was still a give away and his facial structure was immovable. For now at least he was still reliant on glamours and potions. He still only used the potion if he needed an absolutely perfect illusion that couldn't be dispelled. So far he only used it for his first defense class and when George took his place for the afternoon.

Three weeks into the term he took a potion containing the hair of a fourth year Ravenclaw. He got a few odd looks before he conjured a label and stuck it to his robes. The muggleborns found it amusing, a bright blue square that said "Hi, My Name Is; Simon" in cheerful letters. The next day he used a different body, and soon everyone accepted him as himself so long as he wore his nametag. Hermione was less than amused when he stole her form for a day, especially when he removed the tag and said or did things she would never approve of.

When he came down to breakfast as Harry Potter, there was a brief moment of stillness before everything return to normal. Luna gave him a wave and blew a kiss when she came in. Ginny had taken notice of their involvement as a matter of course and used this as another chance to threaten him.

"Be careful Black. If you hurt her, I'll beat you to a bloody pulp and get Hermione to raise Harry from the dead so he can kill you." She said with a glint in her eye.

"She's got nothing to fear from me, she's in control."

"Just don't hurt my friend, she's not used to people who can see her as the special person she is. Don't play with her."

"I won't, she's too kind for those games."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer; All good things come in time. The inner workings of my mind are something I am still trying to decipher, so they must not be good things.

Ooooooo

Albus Dumbledore was in a quandary. Despite all appearances, Harry Potter was alive and he couldn't find him! He had come across one of his students, Hermione Granger, telling Ron Weasley that Harry was alive and had been in contact. Albus had some strong suspicions before this point of course, but the information he didn't already have was a clue to his location. Apparently Miss Granger had tried calling him around midnight at Hogwarts only to have Potter rebuff her for calling so late. From what he had overheard, Harry appeared to be between two and four hours ahead, which meant he was hiding somewhere in Eastern Europe. He could be hiding as close as Germany or even out into Russia.

He knew that young Mr. Black had something to do with his disappearance but whether or not he knew Mr. Potter's current whereabouts was the issue. The two of them had disappeared mere hours apart, and he knew they had contact both before and after. The problem was that he had already tried to break into Mr. Black's mind on more than one occasion and had met with no success. It was unlikely that he would willingly divulge information, and attempts to forcibly acquire the information were likely to backfire. He would be watched closely and when he made a mistake, Dumbledore would be right there to offer to smooth everything over. A few threats of expulsion or suspension could be gently erased so long as he told them everything he knew. Not a day went by when one student or another didn't do something worthy of expulsion, Black's time would come.

After some consideration Dumbledore didn't think he would flee somewhere without any support in place which gave him a place to start. The first person on Dumbledore's list to talk to was Charlie Weasley. Romania fit the apparent time difference, and any Weasley would be the first person Harry would run to. After that he was likely to try to seek out some of the students he met through the tri-wizard tournament. He was keeping his ear to the ground with the various ministries and international agencies. He couldn't very well announce that Harry was alive without painting a target on his head, but he could listen to gossip and rumors more than he usually did.

The worst part of the whole mess was the lack of support he was receiving from some of his Order members. Those he felt were most likely to drop everything to join the search seemed to have important commitments they just couldn't avoid. Remus Lupin was closely involved in negotiations with werewolf packs. The Weasley Twins were busy with record sales and product research. Alastor Moody just laughed at him and replied that if the boy didn't want his help he shouldn't give it. The Weasley Parents were ecstatic to hear he might be alive and were using the resources at their disposal to search which everyone admitted were minimal. The only shining spots in his favor were the Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks. Their work allowed them to ask questions and listen to the word on the street.

Oooooo

Harry was surprised. After talking with Moony late one night he was shocked to learn that while Albus was on his trail, he was looking in the wrong direction. According to Moony, Dumbledore had overheard two students talking who believed him to be in Eastern Europe. He had never expected Hermione to unmask him, even unintentionally. On the other hand there was no news whatsoever about him being in America, which suggested that the ministry was never informed or queried. Perhaps this bore looking into. The next two nights he used any available energy to make a portkey. One from the forest outside the quidditch world cup stadium to his flat in Atlanta, and the other was for a return trip.

That weekend Harry asked Luna to help cover for him while he ran a quick errand. After sneaking out through the tunnel to Honeydukes, he apperated from inside the tunnel to the stadium where he activated his portkey. He landed in his apartment and found it exactly as he left it. A few privacy spells revealed that no one but him had entered the flat while he was gone. Checking his mail rewarded him with a letter from the Department of Magic.

ooooooooooo

_Mr. Potter,_

_ We at the Office of Magical Immigration have examined your request to become a citizen of the United States of America. When we handed your request off for the background checks, several irregularities were uncovered. Most importantly we discovered that you are apparently dead. This would normally result in an automatic rejection of your application for obvious reasons, however several other agencies within our government have stayed our hand._

_ If you wish to continue along this path, we will require that you present yourself at our offices to answer a few questions and allow us to confirm your identity. Primarily officials from Customs and Border Protection and the Agency of the Unknown wish to question you regarding irregularities they have observed. If everything is answered to our satisfaction we are prepared to allow you to continue using your credentials as Simon Andrew Black without serious repercussions. We believe that this will grant your desire to become an American citizen legally and also allow you some degree of anonymity. _

_ At this time there are no charges for any crimes, but you may face fines and penalties if the Customs and Border Protection Agency decides to prosecute any misconduct regarding your activities as Mr. Black. Failure to appear before the end of October will result in your application being denied, your passport canceled, and you being listed as a persona non grata within our borders. We have extended this deadline beyond normal requirements in light of your schooling in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and your need for discretion and secrecy._

_Thank you for your time._

_Adam Morgan_

_Office of Magical Immigration_

Oooooooooo

"Good morning Mr. Black, I take it you are here for the requested interview?" Adam Morgan asked when Harry walked through his office door.

"Good morning sir. Yes I am here about my application for immigration. Where should we hold this meeting?" Harry asked nevously.

"Just have a seat please, I'll call our other two guests and we can get started in just a few minutes." He picked up a phone and punched a few buttons. After a brief conversation in some kind of bureaucratic doublespeak he replaced the receiver. "Please, take a seat. This could take some time and I'm sure you'd get tired of standing."

After a few minutes two men entered the office. The first man, dressed in a simple blue oxford style shirt with dark trousers, sat down and shook Harry's hand. "Good morning, my name is John McClain, but please just call me John. I am here on behalf of the Customs and Border Protection agency, both magical and normal branches."

The second man was dressed in an immaculately pressed three piece black suit with white shirt and a black tie. His face was obscured by a charm, and he spent a few moments casting a wide array of privacy and security charms on the door and windows before approaching Harry. "You may call me Agent Green, I work for the Agency of the Unknown which is similar to the British Department of Mysteries. While we are not going to ask you to take veritaserum or an equivalent, it would be most foolish to attempt to lie to us. We already know some of the information we are going to ask you about so we are merely double checking our facts. Do not insult our intelligence and we can work well together."

"Understood sir, what do you need from me?" Harry shook his hand as well. The desk morphed into a conference table as the three officials began getting their paper work in order.

Agent Green pulled out a file and began to read, "Harry James Potter: alias Simon Andrew Black, possible aliases include Yoshia Markarov and Juan Enrico Gonsalez; born July thirty first nineteen eighty in St. Mungo's Hospital in London England, parents deceased fifteen months later. Sent to live with normal relatives of your mother, all paternal relatives deceased. Godfather Sirius Orion Black imprisoned without a trial, escaped summer of nineteen ninety three, deceased May nineteen ninety six. Primary school records indicate above average intelligence with a tendency to purposefully underachieve. Attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry beginning in September of nineteen ninety one continuing to present day, records indicate above average power and potential. In the fall of ninety one, there was a confrontation with a mountain troll. Spring of ninety two saw a bed of devil's snare, a giant chess board, another mountain troll, and finally a confrontation with the spirit of Tom Riddle in possession of one Professor Quirrel. Spring of ninety three saw a sixty foot basilisk and another confrontation with the spirit of Tom Riddle, this time in possession of a nameless student. Winner of the tri-wizard tournament. Spring of ninety five saw the rebirth of Tom Riddle through a black magic ritual. The British Ministry denied this rebirth until the spring of ninety six and an incident that resulted in the death of Sirius Black. June of ninety six witnessed the supposed death of Harry Potter. Is this information correct so far?"

"I don't know if my intelligence or power is above average, but everything else sounds correct to the best of my knowledge. I had nothing to do with the second troll though; it was dead when I got there." Harry said. This information was not too hard to gather, though he didn't know how they acquired his other aliases.

"You'd be surprised how often we hear that. I swear, she was dead when I got there!" Morgan laughed.

"So do you admit to having multiple passports from several countries?" McClain asked heatedly. He was silenced with a motion from Agent Green.

"Prosecuting a dead man will get you no where." He said. "Allow us to continue and your office may get a lot more than a case of identity theft. Mr. Black you may not know how or why some of the charms you have taken advantage of work. In the middle of July our offices were alerted to two uses of the patent protection charm. This spell was created to protect confidential information and technology by registering it with our offices and including a vague description of the information being protected. The uses that attracted the Agency's attention were…" he flipped through some notes, "on the twenty third of July, a method of discreet storage utilizing an extra dimensional space and the transfiguration of a parchment, cast by one Harry James Potter. On the twenty third of July, the process by which Harry James Potter assumed the name Simon Andrew Black, cast by Simon Andrew Black. While these are both valid uses of the charm, they are certainly very intriguing uses."

Harry suffered under the look that clearly asked him to explain. "Yes, I did cast both of those charms. Is there anything wrong with the way I used them?"

"Not in the charms themselves, but if your intelligence or power were ever in doubt this would disprove them. Our office sees hundred of 'test charms' a year, but checks reveal that was the first two times you actually cast the charm. No, our interest lies in your method of discrete storage, and it is an interest shared by the CBP as well. Mere hours after your death, you passed through Russian Border Control in St. Petersburg. Beginning in the middle of June, roughly a week after your supposed death, several hundred military grade weapons and a copious amount of munitions left St. Petersburg for the Republic of Cuba. The problem is that no one knows how the transport was accomplished. Not long after, a set of next generation technomancy circuits left Cuba for Los Angeles. You arrived in Los Angeles less than twenty four hours before the circuits arrived. At the moment we do not have enough evidence to charge or convict you for trafficking of stolen merchandise, and we have no control of any business you conduct outside of our borders so long as you pay your taxes on any monies earned and do not do anything that threatens our security. We are prepared to stop investigating both of these incidents if you might shed some light on how the persons involved may have accomplished their acts."

"So you would like me to explain what customs agents should look for if someone were using something similar to my techniques and spells? And in return you will help maintain my anonymity and my immigration won't be denied?" Harry asked slowly.

"Subtlety is a foreign concept to you isn't it Mr. Black?" Green chuckled. "Yes that is essentially what I am authorized to offer you. While the United States is generally pretty lax about who takes what where, we do try to stay one step ahead of any smugglers who may bring drugs into the country. Corporate espionage promotes competition and is good for the economy. The weapons that appeared in Cuba actually solved a problem we had been watching for a while. We recommend that you not do anything actionable in the future but we are willing to excuse anything we cannot explain if you cooperate."

"Well I guess there is nothing I can say but yes. I can give you copies of the base spell and help you recognize the parchments in their discrete form." Harry perked up considerably.

Over the next hour and a half Harry walked the three government agents through how his basic pocket vaults were made and how to recognize the signatures on a magic scan. The Agency saw some potential uses for field agents and equipment packages. Harry was happy to give his blessing for their use any way they could use them. Maybe he scored a few points but by and large he left the office with a newfound respect for the Aurors and feeling very lucky. He signed a few papers, swore a collection of oaths, and walked out with something he didn't have previously; legitimacy and a clean conscience. It was a good feeling. He would need to read several books on the differences in laws and cultures and meet with a social worker over the summer to ensure his smooth assimilation.

Ooooooooo

"Thanks for the help Luna, did anyone notice I was gone?" Simon asked after he returned. He found her in their normal corner of the library, near the muggle literature.

"No one asked me, but I didn't hear anyone looking for you either." She told him. "May I ask you something Simon?"

"Of course you can. Feel free to ask me anything you want, just use some discretion if others are around." He sat down on the couch next to her so the two of them could enjoy the late afternoon sunshine coming through the windows.

"How much affection is a girlfriend supposed to show?"

"I don't think there is a solid answer for that. I didn't grow up in a loving or normal home so I don't know either. I guess you should just do whatever you feel comfortable with."

"Is it alright to want to just hold on to someone because you like the way they make you feel? I don't know if it's normal, but after my mum died Daddy was distant and sometimes I just want to be held."

"I don't know either. My relatives never touched me except in anger so I am not a good person to define normal. Why do you ask me these things?" He wasn't annoyed, but genuinely curious why she asked him.

Luna reached out and touched his forehead, right over his scar. "Sowhilo, rune of guidance, hope, and honor. Everyone always says it looks like a lightning bolt, but if you draw it or look at your aura, it is obviously sowhilo. You are the only one who really respects me and I trust you."

"I do respect you Luna, you are my friend and I am sorry others can't appreciate the person you are. I may not have all the answers but I'll try."

"I know. Would you hold me Simon? Just let me rest against you while I read?"

Harry agreed and the two of them spent the next several hours in light conversation and reading. Harry decided he could get used to this, the casual contact and warmth was something he never knew he desired but now that he had it he liked it. There was nothing inherently intimate about it, but it was a type of closeness he had always been denied. After a while Harry noticed that they were missing dinner and was about to mention it before he realized Luna had fallen asleep.

Ginny found them both asleep that night before curfew and just had to smile. The two of them made a cute couple. Simon was leaning against the arm of the couch with Luna sleeping peacefully against his chest. Luna had always been lonely because people thought her strange, and Simon was new so he didn't have the established friendships that others had after years of living together. He had inroads in the ministry crew through Harry but he lacked the same bonding experiences the rest had shared.

"Luna, Simon, you need to get up and go back to your rooms. It's almost curfew." Harry had always been a light sleeper and woke up almost immediately to a warm weight against his chest.

"I don't wanna wake up. I'm comfy." Luna complained as she cuddled close to Simon.

"I'm sorry but she's right. We need to get moving." He said as he gently shook Luna.

"Ok Harry, if you say so." Luna replied sleepily.

"I'm Simon, remember?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Simon. Thank you for staying with me."

"Any time Luna. I always have time for my friends."

Simon and Ginny walked Luna back to Ravenclaw tower before heading for Gryffindor. As the painting closed behind Luna, Ginny turned to Simon. "So what is going between you two? Sometimes you're flirty and cute, other times you're nothing more than study partners. Now I find you cuddled together in a forgotten corner of the library."

"For the moment, we are good friends. She helps me study Runes, I help her with Defense. She occasionally uses me to practice flirting and has given me a kiss or two. She doesn't know what normal behavior for romance is so we are exploring it together. I've got a feeling she's got a crush she will eventually act on once she knows how."

"I think I know who that would be." Ginny smirked.

"Good for you, I hope he makes her really happy."

"You really have no clue do you? Are you that blind?"

"No, it's not really my business so I haven't asked. Today she just wanted to be held so I sat with her while we were reading. It was nice."

"Would you ever become more than friends?"

"I never really thought about it. I don't know that I am really looking for a girlfriend but I would hate to turn her away. I'm pretty happy the way things are now. I've got a friend who doesn't ask anything of me and accepts me as I am. Besides, she still has that crush to work through."

Ginny patted his arm, "You're young still, maybe one day you'll understand."

Oooooooo

Hermione called him just a few minutes after he returned to his room.

"Hello Hermione. Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

"Hello Harry, not that I can think of. Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing really, it's just that Dumbledore and his friends have been looking around for me. Apparently he overheard two students talking about me and one of them used logic to deduce that I was in Eastern Europe. Last I checked there were two people in Hogwarts who knew I was alive and only one who was the slightest bit logical."

"Oh my God Harry! I'm sorry, I knew I promised not to tell anyone but I thought Ron was safe and I never meant for Dumbledore to overhear."

"I'm a little disappointed in you but it's alright. I've moved again so he's wasting his time. My studies were a bit interrupted but I will recover without too much fuss. We can keep the contact times; it's just early morning for me instead of late night."

"That's all the hint you'll give me isn't it?"

"That was too much last time. Just don't let it get out again alright? Simon knows how to get in touch if it is an emergency or Dumbledore is on to me again. He saved my bacon by getting me warning before Dumbledore's goons could catch up."

"How did he know?"

"He owns Headquarters, what did you expect? So tell me what has been going on while I'm off meeting new and interesting people…"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer; The following is a derivative of Rowling's original work.

Oooooo

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend when Dumbledore found his leverage against Simon. Apparently Simon did not have a permission form to enter Hogsmeade and since he was lacking in legal guardians it was likely to stay that way. Dumbledore asked Professor McGonagall to alert him to his status after breakfast that morning.

"Mr. Black, since we did not receive a parental permission form for Hogsmeade visits you will not be allowed to accompany your classmates down to the village later."

"I never received that form or I would have signed it with the rest of them over the summer. Since I do not require legal guardian may I sign my own form?" He asked.

"I am sorry but the form must be signed by an adult. You will not be able to attend today."

"Very well, would you please sign my permission form? If you need I could arrange for you to have power of attorney for this. I'd just need to send a message to my father's lawyers."

"Mr. Black I cannot sign it either. If you need to appeal this decision you will need to discuss it with the Headmaster."

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do I suppose. I don't suppose he has time to see me this morning?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very busy man, you'll have to request an appointment."

"Alright, thank you Professor McGonagall. Do you have a copy of the form I will need to have signed?"

She gave him the necessary form and Harry sat down to write a pair of letters. The first letter and permission form were sent to Andromeda Tonks. It was a polite request for her to help him out since she was his closest relative by blood. He tapped the two pieces of parchment and cast a spell, "Messaticum Fenix." The letter folded itself into an origami phoenix and flew away at great speed. The other was a request for an appointment with Professor Dumbledore. This one got a modified spell, "Messaticum Fenix Glitterati."

The Phoenix Messenger charm was an Egyptian invention that was most commonly used to send birthday cards or other celebratory notes, and functioned with or without glitter. It was very similar to the paper airplanes that flew memos within the Ministry of Magic. The only difference was the outside shape or the way the spell exploded in a shower of silver glitter when they reached the target. He hoped Dumbledore was feeling playful this morning.

Deciding that Dumbledore was probably going to draw this out, Simon gathered his Book of Vaults and a few school supplies before retreating to his corner of the library for some research. His goals were two fold for this day. He was going to review the blood wards that had protected his relatives house and see if they were something he might be able to cast on the Book. The protection offered was a serious temptation as they were very nearly impenetrable if love or happiness resided within the boundaries. With luck he would have superior protection surrounding his family heirlooms and personal treasures. The other thing he wanted to do was to deconstruct the expansion spell used in the creation of a pocket vault. He was happy with his multi compartment trunk substitute but there was always call for a bigger storage space. He had labeled all of his pages in the book in Akkadian and the passwords were in Vedic Sanskrit. Each page had a grocery style list of it's contents, including book titles. The book itself was already warded with the standard set of privacy spells a diary might have to prevent unwanted readers, and the ward he and Luna had practiced to prevent anyone not authorized from even being able to touch it.

The blood wards turned out to be a complete waste of time. They could only be erected around a place where people lived. He didn't live in his book and given their nature he wasn't even sure the vaults could be called a place. Also it turned out that the fondness he felt for his family heirlooms and prized possessions was simply not enough to become a workable protection. The only reason the wards around his relative's home worked was because Petunia actually loved Dudley, Harry was nothing more than a battery to charge them while leaching his magic.

Harry pulled out the spell craft book and his arithmantic calculator and set to work. The pocket vaults were created in several steps. The first was a reversible password protected transfiguration that turned the paper into a wooden box. The second part was the expansion charm he was currently working on. When something was placed within this box it was partially diverted to a sub-dimensional space and partially had the charge on it's atoms suppressed. The lessened charges allowed atoms to reduce the amount of empty space within the object. The end effect was that the entire item was physically within the box but the energy and empty space were shifted out of the current reality. His primary school science was barely helping him out. He had heard that everything was made of atoms, and that atoms were mostly empty space. He understood how it worked in theory, the same way he understood how an auto or airplane worked. He could work the spell, but that didn't mean he understood it. Trying to express it with numbers and letters hurt his brain. It was like opening the hood of the metaphorical auto and taking the engine apart and hoping to find a way to increase the horsepower. The next step to the vaults was a set of weight reduction and feather light charms. Unless he filled one with lead or gold, it was unlikely he would notice much additional weight. The last spell was an identification and transcription spell that identified anything within the vault and recorded it on the parchment, this spell was completely optional.

Harry worked fairly steadily to deconstruct the expansion part stopping every few moments to sip a butterbeer. The charm was several words long, in conjunction with complex wand movements. Seven syllables with thirteen wand movements gave it a powerful arithmantic formula. In theory if he could isolate the section of the spell that detailed the ratio of expansion he should be able to make minor modifications to change it. He hoped to increase the amount of empty space or perhaps even physical substance diverted from normal space. His books gave him assistance in determining the values of the spell but did little to help him understand what each part of the spell did beyond vague descriptions. There were several parts that seemed to be what he wanted but it wasn't perfectly clear which part he needed. He decided to make several alterations and perform the charms on separate test samples to determine their usefulness. Before he could arrive anywhere near the point of making those changes however his stomach growled and he realized it was time for lunch.

Oooooooo

At lunch he received a reply from Andromeda Tonks and an appointment with Dumbledore for the afternoon. Professor McGonagall looked amused when she told him so she had apparently been in the room when the phoenix arrived. Mrs. Tonks had signed his form and included a quick note saying she liked his delivery method. People needed a little fun in their lives apparently.

When Harry prepared himself for his encounter with the Headmaster, he discovered an unnerving fact. His supply of mind occluding potion was down to its last dose. He honestly didn't know if it was worth it to take the dose now. He wouldn't be able to use it for a week afterwards and the potion took a long time to brew another batch. He didn't know when he would need it next, but knew the Headmaster was going to at the very least test his defenses. His own skills were definitely not up to the task, so he reluctantly decided he would have to take it and stay away from the headmaster until he had a chance to brew more.

Once he was dosed with his potions (untraceable, mind occluding, and dopplejuice), he donned his trademark mismatched glasses and approached the Headmaster's office. The password, Swedish fish, was given to him by McGonagall and allowed him up to the office. He knocked on the door and was immediately rewarded with a call to enter.

"Good afternoon Professor Dumbledore, I wanted to talk to you about Hogsmeade visits and my permission form."

"Yes, please have a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?"

"No thank you sir. I just wanted to discuss what we can do about this little snag of mine. Hopefully we can reach an agreement and I will be out of your hair quickly."

"Well I am sorry Simon but the school cannot allow you to leave the grounds without that form. You may be a legal adult in the United States, but unfortunately here in Great Britain we do not allow emancipation before the age of sixteen so you won't be able to sign it yourself."

"That is a problem I suppose, since I do not have a legal guardian how would you suggest we fix it?" Harry was willing to work with any reasonable request, it was best not to tickle the sleeping dragon unless you really needed to.

"If you were to help me with a little problem I am having I would be happy to sign it for you. The board of governors may not agree but they will not give me too much trouble. I dare say I've made more unpopular decisions."

So that was the trick was it? Ok, let's see what stick he was using with the carrot. "I might be able to help, now what was it you needed?"

"You and I both know Mr. Potter is alive, Simon. I just want to look out for his best interests and protect him. If you would just tell me where he is we'll get him back with his friends."

"First of all, call me Mr. Black. Only my friends can call me Simon. You must think I am slimier than Pettigrew to offer that reward. Let's end this farce, I already have right here a permission slip signed by Andromeda Tonks since she is my next of kin and an adult." He handed Dumbledore the parchment. "Since you oh so delicately brought it up, yes my god-brother is still alive. No I can not tell you where he is. You were the reason he started running in the first place, did you honestly think I would turn him over in exchange for something I can get on my own? No Headmaster I would not just give up his location even if I could."

"I'm afraid that's not good enough Mr. Black!" Dumbledore rose to his full height, "You have no idea how important Harry is. I cannot allow you to leave until you tell me what I need to know. You may have won before, but you're in my house now! As I see it, you are guilty of defrauding the British Ministry and Gringott's Goblin Bank by participating in this stunt. You could be expelled and tried for your crimes."

Harry grinned evilly. His voice was playful as he responded, "Ok, now that you've removed the gloves we can really play ball. Do you have any idea why I am here Headmaster? It isn't for the prestige of attending Britain's most famous school. I am only here as a favor to Harry to look after his friends. If you expel me, it will annoy me a bit but really piss him off. When the ministry arrests me, I will demand to be tried in my home country. I won't spend a day in prison. Then, I'll walk into Gringott's and shake the hand of Harry's account manager. Within two weeks, I'll be living in Hogsmeade watching out for his friends from afar. In the mean time your whole Order will be outed to the press, you will be barred from the homes of myself and the Potter estates, and the full extent of your manipulations will be made public. We can play dirty if you want but I never go down alone. I'm prepared to take everyone down with me. Your Order doesn't mean crap to me."

"You're playing a dangerous game Black!"

"Of course I am. But I unlike you recognize it as the game it is. You have no chips I need, while I do have something you need. You would be within your rights to do as you threatened. I would be within my rights to do as I threatened. But when we butt heads, neither one of us will win so it comes down to who has more to lose. If it will stop this foolishness I can give you one small concession I suppose."

"I knew you'd see reason. Now just tell me what I need to know." Dumbledore settled back down.

"Oh don't get your hopes up on me ever seeing reason. The only help you are going to get from me when it comes to finding Harry is this; the last time I saw him was in a café in Istanbul but he left already. Now you've got somewhere to start but I'll warn you that I'm helping him. So long as you can see me, you know he's at least one step ahead of you."

"There now, that wasn't so hard was it?" Dumbledore asked him nicely. "Now how about you tell me which café?"

"A muggle one. Headmaster, in all your dealings with me you've made the same mistake and it's starting to get boring. You keep assuming that youth and stupidity are interchangeable. What you fail to realize is that I know exactly what resources you can bring to bear against me, and you do not know the same about me. Harry and I know that you practically run the magical world in Britain, so the counter move is very simple. Leave Britain and become a muggle, where instead of a celebrity in a small community he is just another face in a population of billions. In the meantime I have control of both the Potter and Black influence and wealth, and my own connections. If we are going to dance and work against each other you need to learn the new rules. I don't dance in polite circles at ministry balls, I fight dirty and go for the cheap shots and soft tissues."

"And just what are you suggesting I do?" Dumbledore asked. This child was getting annoying, why couldn't they just accept that with over a hundred years of experience he knew best?

"We've got a sayin' back home. Don't rassle with a hog. The hog likes it and you get dirty. Oink, oink, Headmaster." Simon tipped an imaginary hat to the Headmaster and left the office. He was almost disappointed that Dumbledore never tried to invade his mind, maybe he could be taught.

Ooooooo

"Hey Ron, how's life? I haven't talked to you much." Harry sat next to his friend in the common room.

"Simon, right?" Seeing his nod, he continued. "Well I suppose things are going alright. By some freak chance, I'm the quidditch captain this year so I've been busy."

"You're still keeping up with your defense right?"

"Yeah, Harry will need us one day and after all he's done for me and my family, I'll be ready." Ron looked proud for a moment.

"Ron, you need to learn to keep that voice of yours down. I don't know why Hermione told you, but he needs that to stay secret if he is going to survive this war." Simon shushed him. This was why he wasn't going to tell Ron! He was a steady friend, but that mouth would get him in trouble one day. "You are a good friend to him and he's proud to have you but you need to watch it. Now is there anything you need that we can get for you?"

"I can't think of anything. But it's no big deal. The Gryffindors wouldn't turn on him." He was unapologetic but quieter none the less.

Harry reached out and slapped the back of his head. "It's like chess Ron. Do you announce to your friends when you've got a pawn about to reach the final rank? Whether friends or opponents you keep your mouth shut and play the game so your pawn gets a promotion to Queen. Right now Harry is a passed pawn making a run for that final rank. The Dark Queen is still in play, as is Dumbledore. Don't gloat until they can't do anything to stop you."

"Oh." Ron was suddenly sheepish, "Thanks for explaining it so I could understand."

"Ok, I'm glad you finally get it. You've got a decent mind, I'd hate to give you and Hermione both a Lockheart Special because his safety was at risk. You get me?"

"You wouldn't!" Ron gasped.

"Would you if someone were threatening him? Enough of this, so tell me what there is to do in Hogsmeade. It looks like I'll be able to go down with everyone else tomorrow."

Ooooooo

Sunday was bright and cool when the students left for the second half of their Hogsmeade weekend. Harry allowed himself to be dragged around the village as if he were new, and took advantage of the chance to refill some of his supplies. He restocked on some of the more obscure potions ingredients for his stores, and bought a two more cases of butterbeer which he stashed in his book after retreating to the bathroom. He got a few odd looks but he didn't care. He just told them they were shrunk and lightened.

Simon was leaving Dervish and Bang's to meet the others for lunch in the three broom sticks when he heard the tell tale cracks of apparition. It sounded like ten to fifteen people had just arrived in town, but he didn't see any of them. This could not be good. He ducked into an alley and heard voices from behind the shop.

"Remember, we're here for the bushy haired mudblood and the two redheads. The Dark Lord wants to use them for hostages for some reason, so don't kill them." A male voice said.

That settled it for Harry, he needed to warn his friends NOW! He managed to make it out of the alley and into the main road before the Death Eaters came pouring into the town. They lit shops on fire and cast explosion hexes into the crowds with abandon. Most of the crowd panicked but Harry was happy to see some of the DA had remembered his lessons and were fighting back. Unfortunately the good guys were using the usual tactics of stunning the Death eaters which only slowed them down before they were brought back into the fight. Harry cast a quick sticking charm on his book and wore it on his chest like body armor. He wasn't going to discard it, but he needed his hands free. Maybe the ward and protective charms would help him some.

After that he joined the fight with bone breaking curses and slashing hexes. He managed to get the senior death eater with one of his bone breakers in the leg. Harry heard his friends behind him and was going to warn them about the trap before the remaining Death Eaters began concentrating their attention on them. He kept up his stream of curses even after his friends went down stunned. He knew he needed their help, but if he stopped shielding and cursing for even a second, they would overpower him. He was outnumbered ten to one still and it was only luck keeping him up. Eventually he felt a spell hit his back and the world faded away as he joined his friends on the ground. His last thought was that they must have put up anti-portkey spells because his necklace didn't whisk him away.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer; Same as always.

Ooooooooo

When Harry woke up in a dark hole, his initial thoughts were nothing that could be repeated in polite company. At the same time, he was singing the praises of whoever made his glasses. When he asked that no one other than himself be able to remove them, he was only thinking of its uses in a duel. Right now, the night vision charms were making the price worth it.

Without getting up Harry could see that he was not alone in his captivity, his friends were with him. Whether because of power, luck, or just because he had been hit with stunners enough, Harry was the first one awake. The Death Eaters had apparently been honest about the intention to use them as hostages. They had thrown them into what basically amounted to a stone pit with sheer walls. Harry could not see any guards around the top but that didn't mean they weren't there. His book was still stuck to his chest and mostly unharmed since he had been hit in the back, which hurt like the devil himself had laid into him. Somehow either during the fight or after being taken captive, his left arm had been wrenched from its socket.

Ron looked the worst of his friends; he had several small cuts and a wide variety of bruises. It appeared that he had been given the bare minimum first aid needed to keep him alive before dropping down here. Ginny had two vicious looking bruises and a cut near her hairline that had dripped blood down her face. It looked worse than it was. Hermione was nearly unharmed, a simple stunner had taken her down, but he didn't doubt there were injuries he couldn't see.

He heard footsteps from up above and his scar burst to life with pain. It was all he could do to roll over and curl into a ball, his face away from the open top of the pit. With his eyes clenched shut he could see the doors open as Voldemort stepped into the room. The tiles in the room above were filthy and bloodstained. The opening to the pit was against the back wall, an uneven lip of broken tiles and bricks in what was clearly a dungeon somewhere. As Voldemort looked down he could see himself and others laying on the bottom. He twitched a little from the pain of having Voldemort not only so close, but in his mind feeling such sick pleasure.

"Can you see this Potter? Your friends need you, Potter. I'm going to make you watch as I kill them one by one. One more will die every twelve hours Potter, you better hurry if you want to save them. I wonder which one will finally break your spirit? Will it be the mudblood? The ginger tart? Or are you bent as a three galleon coin? Perhaps you need to watch the other Weasley die. But first, I'll give your brother a taste of what awaits him. Crucio!"

The cruiciatus curse struck Harry and he watched himself writhe and scream through Voldemort's eyes and felt the curse both from within and from without. His world was pain as his blood boiled and burned. He barely noticed that his screams and thrashing roused the others who watched horrified as the most evil man in the Wizarding world tortured their friend. After what felt like an eternity of pain, Voldemort lifted the curse and began his rant again.

"In six hours I will kill the first one unless you turn yourself over to me. Give up Potter. They say you would die for your friends, and this is your chance to do just that. Submit to me and I will release your friends. I will even ask my Death Eaters not to attack them unless it is self defense. Their fate is in your hands alone now." Voldemort left the room cackling like the mad man he was. In spite of the pain he was in Harry had to admit that if he weren't already in deep he might have fallen for the guilt trip.

Ooooooooo

As Ginny, Ron, and Hermione stirred to life, Harry gulped air into his burning lungs and tried to recover from the unforgivable. It had been awhile since he last felt the curse, but no one ever got used to it. Because of his great need and the situation he found himself in, he recovered quickly only to hear his friends panicking.

"Oh no, how could he say that to Harry? After what happened to Sirius that is exactly what Harry will do!" Hermione fretted.

"Shut up Hermione! This isn't the time to worry about whether or not Harry will come for you." Simon snapped at her.

"But if Harry shows up he will die!"

"And if he doesn't you will!"

"Oi! Harry has saved our lives before. He gave me back my Sister. He gave me back my Father. And he gave us all more time together. If this is going to be him or me, I won't ask him to die for me." Ron sounded as if he were resigned to his fate. Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding her agreement.

"Merlin, he really doesn't deserve friends like you. Alright if you all will stop panicking for two minutes, the only people dying will be Death Eaters."

"We're trapped in the bottom of a hole, with no wands and no way out. How are they going to be dieing again?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"Because if there is anything I know, it is that whatever happens you should never panic. You are all panicking! Do you think Harry panicked when he was alone with Quirrel? Or when he was in the Chamber with Ginny? Or how about when he was in the Graveyard? You were there last spring. Did he panic in the Department of Mysteries? When you panic or say that there is no way out, you sign your own death certificate."

"You're right! No prison is perfect we just need to figure out how to escape. Then we can warn Harry." Hermione's logical brain was starting to work and she began to come down slightly.

"Ok, are we agreed that we are going to try to escape and not die in a hole?" Simon asked them.

"Mate, if you've got a plan, I'm waiting to hear it. I don't want to die anymore than you do, but stop playing with us. We need to get moving before Harry gets here." Ron spoke for the group.

"I'll get you all out of here or die trying, but first I need you to do one thing for me. If we are going to get out alive I need you all to swear a wizard's oath not to reveal anything to do with me to anyone outside us four. The other option is to let me knock you out again so you can't reveal anything."

"Are you serious?" Hermione nearly shouted, "What could possibly be that important that you are trying to protect it even when our lives are on the line?"

"There will be time for questions later Hermione. Now do I brain you with a rock or do you let your magic seal the secrets? The American Department of Mysteries would be very upset if what I have to do gets out and I seriously do not want to be here when Moldy Voldy comes back."

The three friends reluctantly swore their oaths. "Good, I'm going to need to reinforce that with some more secrecy spells when we get out, but that will wait until we are well away from here. Now I've got my glasses with more charms than Moody's eye, four wands, an invisibility cloak, the book of invisibility, body armor, and a few weapons. I just need to be able to get to them. Someone help me take off my shirt."

"Why do you want someone to do that?" Ginny asked.

"First of all, my arm is not working right now. Secondly, am I the only one who has noticed the large book I have stuck to my chest? I need that book for reasons that will be abundantly clear in just a few moments." Simon worked to shuck his outer robe.

"I think you're the only one who can really see. It's pretty dark down here." Ron told him.

"Unnng!" He grunted. "Just shut up and help me. As soon as I can get in this book, I can get you wands and emergency medical supplies. I know I need at least a pain potion and someone to put my arm back where it belongs. I can see that you could all use a little help as well."

Hermione helped him get his shirt off and Harry started flipping through his pages looking for the one with his wands. He found the page and opened it with a finger tap instead of using a wand with the password. He dug around for a few seconds before pulling out the general use wands. Deciding that using a simple light spell like Lumos would give them away, Harry cast a night vision charm on his each of his friends, and a silencing spell around the lip of the pit.

"Hermione, you are on medical detail. Do what you can please, here's a first aid manual if it will help. Give me a moment and I can find you some potions. Ginny, you know the ward revealing spells from Runes, right? Tell me what wards we are going to have to break through to escape. Ron, I hope you know charms to enhance your hearing because you need to let us know if anyone is coming. I'm going to get us anything I have that might be useful."

They set to work in their various jobs. Harry searched through his collection for anything they could use on the fly. The first thing he did was to refresh the dopple juice that had worn off while he was unconscious. He pulled out his invisibility cloak, the book of invisibility, and some healing potions he was lucky to have. It turned out that he did not have anything for pain, and the potions he did have were going to be slow to work. He pulled out his set of body armor, a blend of Kevlar and dragon hide with strengthening charms and strategically placed steel plates. Also in the pile was his cattle prod and something Yuri had called a Raiden unit. The Raiden unit looked like a black leather glove with metal finger tips and wires sewn into the cuffs. When active it turned the user's magic into a deadly and damaging lightning bolt that danced across the fingertips. Also added to the pile were smoke bombs and flash bang grenades. Looking through the rest of the gear from Yuri raised an interesting question.

"Hey guys, I need some input here. Are we going to sneak out with stealth or are we going to kill everything between us and the door? Stunning and playing nice isn't an option anymore. If we fight at all we need to fight to win. So fight or flight?"

"Are you joking? We are not going to kill anyone!" Hermione nearly shrieked.

"Hermione, where are you right now? Do you feel the cold stone? Did you hear anything Voldemort said other than asking Harry to turn himself in? They are going to kill you. They are going to kill your friends. If I have to I will kill every living thing between here and Hogwarts to keep you safe, but if we just stun them they will get back up and kill you. Everyone keeps talking about loving someone enough to die for them. Now it is time to love your friends enough to kill for them." Hermione fell silent.

"Simon, I've got the wards here." Ginny broke the argument before it could gather steam. "It looks like we are someplace unplottable. There are wards against apparition, portkeys, magical creatures, and a variety of wards to keep people out. I've never seen most of these before."

"Crap, that means we definitely need to get out of this room at least. So the question is real now. Do we fight our way out or do we try to sneak out?" Harry turned to his friends.

"I say we fight. Not that we go looking for death eater to fight, but we might need to backtrack if we choose the wrong way. If we just run from them a wrong turn could get us all killed." Ron was stubbornly practical.

"Fight," Ginny said.

"I don't like the idea of killing, but I guess we need to fight." Hermione reluctantly agreed.

"You may not need to kill, but we cannot afford functional death eaters rejoining the fight. I am not asking you to use the A-K. You know bone breaking curses, the reductor curse, explosion hexes. Use them, put them down and keep them down." Harry returned to his open vault and pulled out two handguns with laser sights. "Hermione, can you shoot? These are silenced and hold three hundred bullets each, do you want one?"

She shook her head and he replaced one of them in the vault. With a yank and a twist, she helped put his arm back where it belonged.

"So who wants what for equipment? I've only got the one invisibility cloak, and only one set of body armor. The same person shouldn't use both. There is an invisibility spell in the book but I haven't practiced it. The smoke and flash grenades are very simple, just pull the pin and get rid of it. I will take the Raiden unit which means one of you can have my stun rod. If they are close enough just press the red button and hit them with it. The sides and top both work."

"Whoever is in the lead should take the cloak so they can check out a room without being seen. If the room is crowded they can use the flash and smoke to provide a distraction while we enter the room. Whoever is in the rear should wear the armor in case someone sneaks up on us." Hermione used her logic to sketch a quick plan.

"I'll take the front." Ron volunteered.

"And I'll take the rear," Hermione added.

"Good. Ginny take the stun baton. Use it if they get too close for spells. Do we want to risk the invisibility spells or do we just disillusion ourselves?"

oooooooo

Reluctantly it was agreed not to waste time with a spell they may not be able to use, but they all wanted a chance to study it later. They disillusioned each other and then levitated each other out of the hole. Ron hurried over to the door and peeked outside after dropping low. A curse flew where his head should have been. His hand came out from behind the cloak to indicate that there were three of them before Harry saw one of his grenades roll across the floor. When the bang and flash went off; Harry kicked the door open and fired an explosion hex into the center of the room. He managed to knock two of them over and the girls fired on the third. Harry cast cutting curses at those that were down, slicing them across their throats. The girls settled for breaking all the limbs on theirs and silencing him.

Harry started rifling through the pockets but found nothing interesting. He summoned the wands and added them to the pocket with his book. Looking back towards the door Harry noticed Ron was still on the floor rubbing his eyes.

"Ron, when you use the flash bangs do not look at the grenade! Besides, there were only three of them. I only had three grenades save the other two for emergencies when we are outnumbered. Are you alright?"

Ron grunted his agreement and got to his feet. There were two entrances to this room and the exit behind them.

"Which way guys?" Simon asked.

"The left way smells fresher, just a little bit cleaner." Ginny told him.

Opening the door they found a short hallway leading to a set of stone stairs going up. They climbed the stairs and Ron put his ear to the door.

"There's a lot of them being there. It sounds like they are celebrating their success after the raid." Ron whispered.

"How many?"

"I don't know for sure, but at least five of them."

"How in the world did they not hear us already? That grenade was loud." Hermione chipped in.

"Who cares, lets just take advantage of it while we can." Harry brought them back to the present.

"So I should use another one of those flash cans?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, be sure to throw it into the middle of the room. We want it right in the middle of them and away from us."

"Got it, I'll throw it and hold the door closed this time until the bang." Ron followed words with actions and soon the group heard the bang and once again knocked the door open expecting an easy sweep.

The reality was far less appetizing, judging from the smoking scorch mark and ten angry Death Eaters, the flash bang landed under the table they were gathered around. Both sides stared at each other for a few moments. The Death eaters could barely notice their disillusioned opponents, but the attack left little doubt what was about to happen. Harry pushed into the room and began casting. He used cutting and explosive curses, but the death eater he was aiming at dove out of the way. The table was soon reduced to splinters and the battle began in earnest. Harry jammed the fingers of his left hand into the mask of the closest death eater. His metal coated fingertips actually pierced the eyes of his opponent while his thumb grabbed the roof of his mouth. The Raiden unit kicked in and Harry felt the magic being sucked out of him. His opponent clamped down before his muscles relaxed and he slumped to the floor dead. The Raiden was a powerful weapon, but it really took it out of him disproportionate to it's damage. At the same time Harry used the Death eater as a lightning rod, Harry cast a bone breaking curse at another. The curse connected and caved in the chest of the poor bastard. A cutting curse hit him across his shoulders and he fell. When he came back up he punched out with his gloved fist and wasted some more magic in a lightning bolt that leapt from his hand before he ever made contact.

When he was able to think straight again Harry was able to see a death eater hiding under an invisibility cloak taking a shot at Ginny. Since Harry was the only one able to see him it was his job to deal with him. He pulled the pistol and used the laser to help shoot both of his knees before summoning his cloak. He turned and saw Hermione dueling with a female death eater. Hermione tried to stun her, but she batted it aside with a laugh that was too familiar to Harry.

"Aw… The little baby wants to play!" Bellatrix taunted. "Try this, Avada Kedavra!"

The green bolt of death sped towards Hermione and impacted her in the center of her chest. She was knocked back and lay still. Harry's vision ran red and a primal scream tore from his throat. His hands worked independently of his brain.

"You utter bitch! You tortured the Longbottoms! You killed Sirius! You killed Hermione! DIIIIEEEEE! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" He just kept screaming.

"Simon, stop, she's dead. She's dead. Simon stop!" Someone knocked him over and he saw what was left of Bellatrix Lestrange. Apparently he had shot her many times and she was also covered in several electrical burns. He didn't remember doing it really but the smell of hot blood was undeniable and made him sick.

"Ginny, you get Hermione and I'll get this bastard to tell us the way out. She may be dead, but I'll be damned if I'm not bringing her back home to her family." Harry walked over to the man who was hiding beneath the cloak. He ripped of the mask to reveal Severus Snape. "Professor, you better start talking quick or you're a dead man. You tried to curse us and that tells me quite a bit about your character. Now tell me where the kitchens are!"

"Kitchens? Why do you want to know about the kitchens?"

"Killing people makes me hungry Snape, now where are they?" Harry made lightning dance across his fingers.

"Downstairs, the other door!"

"Good, now give me your hands you worthless git!" Harry grabbed Snape's wand. "I said give me your hands!"

Snape reluctantly held his hands out in front of him. Harry cast a reductor curse to shatter the bones before shooting them for good measure. "Good luck with your potions, Professor!" Harry finished with kick to his professor's head, knocking him unconscious.

"Mate, why didn't you ask for the way out? What good can the kitchens do?"

"Trust the fuckhead! Now is not the time for questions, now help Ginny with Hermione and let's get moving."

Harry summoned all the wands and spotted something that caught his interest. He saw a familiar looking cane and a lock of silver blonde hair, Lucius Malfoy was dead, bleeding from two empty eyes. Harry grabbed a souvenir and joined the others at the door. As they made their way down the stairs Hermione jerked and gasped.

"She's alive!" Ginny squealed. "How could she survive that?"

"Ennervate!" Harry woke her up fully, "I guess the steel plate in the armor acted as a physical barrier. Thank God you're alive Hermione!" Harry and the others crushed her in a group hug.

"Why are we going back downstairs?" She asked.

"The kitchens are downstairs. In the kitchens we'll find house elves, which mean we won't find wards against magical creatures or their methods of travel. I can summon a phoenix and get us out." Simon explained to the group. "I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier, but we didn't have a prisoner either. I need to keep moving before I collapse."

Ooooooo

They soon found the kitchen and the house elves scattered screaming about telling the masters. Harry opened his vault and pulled out a bag of galleons before casting the charm to summon Phoenix Airways for a pick up. He told the phoenix to take them to his flat in Atlanta. They needed a place to heal and get proper wands before they returned to Hogwarts. They definitely did not need interrogation and questioning. After paying the Goblins they arrived at magical customs and encountered yet another snag, admittedly a much smaller one, no one had a passport.

"Look, I know we're bleeding, broken, and have no papers. Please just contact the Agency of the Unknown and ask them to send Agent Green. Tell them that Simon Black's file needs to be updated again and he has something else useful for them."

After calling in his supervisor and Harry repeating his request, the customs official made the call. A few moment's later a soft pop signaled the arrival of Agent Green.

"Mr. Black, what in God's name happened to you all? You look as if you were in a war."

"Funny you should say that, we were. I'm taking on refugees temporarily at my Atlanta residence. Can we get through, get a healer and meet tomorrow morning about the how's and why's?"

"We will need to post an Auror guard outside your residence until you all can go through customs properly, but for now I will let you in on my authority. This had better be good."

"Oh, it is. We've got armor that can stop the A-K apparently. We'll be gone in a few days tops. We just need a healer, a place to rest, and we'll get new wands later."

"Interesting, we'll have one of the best healers at your apartment within the hour. You'll have to cover the expense of course but we can arrange someone discrete. They'll know it never happened and you were never there. Expect me around noon."

"Thank you sir. It looks like I owe your Agency again. One day I'll find out how to repay all this."

Green waved them through and the phoenix dropped them in the apartment.

Ooooooo

The healer arrived quickly and fussed over their various injuries. Harry and Hermione ended up with the most severe injuries. Harry's dislocated shoulder would need to be in a sling for a week, and the cut across his back would leave a nasty scar. Hermione had broken ribs, a concussion, and numerous deep puncture wounds from the steel plate when it exploded against her chest. The wounds were cauterized by the wash of the spell, but the shrapnel needed to come out and the wounds would take a while to heal properly. Ginny was suffering from a minor concussion and a few deep bruises. Ron was almost covered in bruises, scrapes, nicks, and cuts but nothing serious enough to incapacitate him. His eyes would recover on their own eventually.

That night sleeping arrangements were a non issue. They just cast an expansion charm on the bed and fell asleep still in their clothing. They slept through the night in fits and starts. Harry in particular had some horrible nightmares. The girls cuddled closer to him and he rested a little easier. Hermione had to be woken once when her screams woke the others. They helped each other through the night and tried not to dwell on their own demons. Breakfast was a very subdued affair, and later than usual because of the time difference. Potions could take away the physical pain, but some scars are deeper than the skin. They barely had time to shower and dress before they were to expect Green to appear.

Oooooo

Agent Green arrived at precisely noon. Apparently punctuality was a trait essential to government agents. He came in and began the lengthy process of rendering the entire apartment perfectly sealed off from the outside world. He then pulled out a dictation quill and indicated for them to take seats at the table in the dining room.

"Before we begin, may I offer you all some tea? This might take a while and I like something to drink while I work." Seeing their nods, Green conjured a tray containing a tall pitcher of iced tea, glasses and a bowl of lemons. He poured them glasses and added lemon to his own. The teens stared at him as if he had grown another head.

Harry decided to speak what they were all thinking, "Excuse us sir, the British have a different idea of drinking tea."

"Oh well, your loss," He made no move to replace it with proper tea. "Well we have managed to gather some intelligence from our contacts in Britain and we think we know some parts of your ordeal. The parts we do know have made our Government decide to offer you asylum in our country if you need it, at least until the current emergency subsides. We will however need to know the details between your abduction from the streets of Hogsmeade and your arrival here."

"Why would your government offer us asylum?" Hermione asked.

"We are given to understand that you were specifically targeted because of your association with Mr. Potter, and were possibly taken as bait to set a trap. If you return, it is likely this will not be the last attempt on your persons so we decided to be "good neighbors" as it were."

"Thank you for your offer, but we need to return home." She said.

"The offer will remain unless the situation changes. Well let's get down to the business of sorting out the details. We will begin with you Mr. Potter." Green gestured to Harry.

"MR. POTTER? HARRY?" The others rounded on him. Harry grimaced. This was going to be a long conversation.

"Um… Hi guys."


	11. Through the Looking Glass

Disclaimer; I own nothing, but I am clever enough to steal properly.

Ooooooo

_"The offer will remain unless the situation changes. Well let's get down to the business of sorting out the details. We will begin with you Mr. Potter." Green gestured to Harry. _

_"MR. POTTER? HARRY?" The others rounded on him. Harry grimaced. This was going to be a long conversation. _

_"Um… Hi guys." _

"Oh… That's rich." Greene looked to Harry, "You managed to live with your closest friends for two months without them finding out? You may have potential if you ever learn to keep a low profile."

"Harry James Potter! Why have you been lying to me all this time? You made me think you were all over the place when you were sitting next to me at breakfast everyday! How could you?" Hermione was slightly indignant.

"Do you want me to obliviate them? I didn't mean to blow your cover." Green pulled his wand from his holster but didn't point it at anyone.

Harry considered it for a moment. "No I really don't want to tamper with my friends memories. Is there a way we can lock the information to prevent even accidental spreading, say through legilimancy?"

"Such charms exist; we use them for anyone working on sensitive projects. I guess I am obligated to do it since I screwed the pooch on this one."

"Thank you." Harry returned to Hermione who was less than pleased at his talking around her. "Yes, I lied to you. However before you get mad, try to see it from my side. Everything I told you I later heard back through my spies in the Order. You've already told me and swore to me that you did not tell them, but you were still a way to deliberately mislead Dumbledore and the Order. I lied to you and I used you, but until just now it was too dangerous to me to tell you the truth."

"I still don't like it, but I will admit you had a good excuse."

"Luna!" Ginny looked at him hard. "Luna knows doesn't she? She called you Harry once."

"She can see auras, she had me found out moments after meeting me. We've got an understanding, and she won't intentionally reveal me."

"Hmm… That makes sense really," Ron said thoughtfully, "You were one of only two friends she had, and then Simon just slips into that role easily. I thought it was just because you were new and she was odd, but thinking about it there were little signs that you were not what you seemed."

"You two aren't mad?" Harry asked them.

"I understand why you did it but you better not try it again." Ron told him.

"Just don't hurt Luna, and give me time to change my bet."

"Honestly Ginny, can you think of nothing better to do than bet on Harry's love life?" Hermione berated her.

"Are you forgetting your own bets in that pool?" Harry reminded her. "You already admitted to participating so you can't complain. But anyway we are wasting Agent Green's time let's answer his questions and we can catch up later."

"Thank you Mr. Potter. Now would you please give me your account from the moment you realized there was a problem until when you arrived here?" Green activated the dictation quill.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny explained everything they could remember in excruciating detail, often backtracking to answer Green's questions. Over the three hours it took to explain everything to his satisfaction, details Harry had not previously considered sank in. He had killed six people, permanently maimed Snape, and ordered the maiming or killing of eight others. While he had nightmares the night before, it had not sunk in to his rational mind that he was a killer, and that he asked his friends to do the same.

The others all thanked him for masterminding their escape and providing the tools that kept them alive. Hermione was especially grateful claiming he saved her life at least twice by getting her out and giving her the armor that blocked the killing curse. Harry brushed it off humbly but mentally marked Sirius' debt as paid. 'Rest in peace Padfoot, I've got this end taken care of.' Harry thought to himself.

The armor she had used was of particular interest to Green and the Agency as a whole. The healer had given them a detailed report of her wounds and Green examined the vest and removed shrapnel. The healer had called her survival a one in fifty miracle but acknowledged that without the armor she would definitely be dead. There might be some long term scarring related to the dead tissue surrounding each of the puncture wounds, and the effects on the nerves in the area were completely unknown. The Agency, healer, and Green agreed that the combination of the dragon hide and steel plate while not completely blocking it, did diminish the spell's deadliness. The Agency would acquire a few dozen more units and set their researchers on improving the effectiveness ratio. Maybe a perfect defense was impossible but even one in twenty was better than one in history for a survival rate. Most would have looked at the shredded vest and called it a failure, but a survivor meant that there was potential for improvement.  
The other weapons used did not phase Green, though he gave a nod to their resourcefulness. The guns were only semi-automatic and still required real ammunition rather than conjuring their own, so they were not taboo in the States. The stun baton could have been acquired in almost any security store in the States. The Raiden unit was a rare find but no more illegal than an invisibility cloak. It would probably be called Dark in Britain because it had no peaceful use, it was a weapon through and through and one that used muggle ideas to boot.

Before he left, Green gave diplomatic passes to the others not only for them, but for their families as well. He restated the offer of assistance if they wished to flee the war. They weren't offering any real support or help, just a place to run to if things became too bad. He cast secrecy charms on all of them concerning Harry's identity and their actions during the battle.

That afternoon there was a long talk between the friends about Harry's secret keeping and what they needed to do about it. They knew Dumbledore was waiting for them in Britain, and they needed only one story.

Ooooo

It was Thursday morning before the group of friends managed to return to Britain. The others wanted to leave as soon as they got new wands, but Harry was insistent that they wait until he and Ginny were healed and off potions. Hermione would need to take a series of potions for a while yet but they couldn't wait for her. The first stop they made was to Hermione's parents. The scene at the Granger residence was something they had not expected.

Mrs. Granger opened the door and immediately latched onto her daughter. crying loudly. Mr. Granger came to investigate what had set his wife off this time and stopped in shock when he saw their visitors. While Mrs. Granger was still sobbing and mummering incoherently into Hermione's shoulder, he regained his senses.

"I think everyone needs to come inside." He said.

His wife looked up to see that there were indeed others on her doorstep before dragging them all inside. "They told us you were dead!"

Hermione gave her parents a much cleaner version of what happened over the last week. Much hugging and crying ensued as she recounted her brush with death and her miracle. Dan Granger served them tea since Hermione's mother wasn't moving from her daughter's side.

Emma Granger was incensed, "Well that settles it! You won't be returning to that school. These people came after you and tried to kill you just because of who you were friends with. And it sounds like one of your professors not only knew but helped. It is not safe there anymore if it ever was."

"But Mum, I need a good education if I want to want to become successful."

"You need to stay alive if you want to be successful. There must be other schools farther away from this war." Dan told her sternly. "Your mother and I have always pressed you to succeed and be the most you can be, but sometimes the best course is not the conventional one. We want you to be safe and happy first and foremost. The best schools and a top job are pretty far down the list."

"But where would I go? Unless I am going to teach myself at home there isn't anywhere to go in Britain." Hermione asked them.

"I have an idea." Harry announced. They looked at him. "You said it yourself Hermione, there isn't anywhere for you to go in Britain. And more importantly it wouldn't be safe if there was. The war is about to tear magical Britain apart and you've been given an out. You're dead Hermione. The Death Eaters won't be coming for you, Dumbledore has already written you off, and the Ministry will never believe you survived a killing curse. Take advantage of it."

"You're saying we should leave England?" Dan Granger asked.

"The American Government has already offered refuge for your family. I've got a place in Atlanta Georgia that I am not using during school and enough money to make everything happen if you want to accept. In the mean time you are welcome to use my home in London. I can pop over and set the wards to only allow your family. I think that the Order and I are about to have a serious break." He informed them.

"Why are you offering this? We're grateful, don't get me wrong, but you're offering thousands of pounds like it was nothing."

"I owe you. And debts aside, Hermione is the sister I never had. She is family to me and if my last pence is what it takes to keep her safe it is yours." He said with conviction.

"Son, you brought her back to us. Your family's debts are paid." Dan Granger told the younger man.

Harry canceled his glamours, "Two down, eight to go sir."

"You're dead!" Emma screeched.

"What was I supposed to say here? Oh yes, 'Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.' I guess Hermione can say the same now."

"Give us some time to think your offer over as a family. This is too important to rush. Thank you Harry, or Simon, or whoever you really are."

Harry smiled and gave her a cocky bow, "I am both, neither, and many more. I can be whoever you wish me to be. No thanks are necessary, I do what I have to."

Ron stood up and Ginny followed suit. "Let's get moving mate. They need time as a family and if we hurry we can make it back to Hogwarts in time for lunch."

"If you didn't say that last, I might think you were becoming sensitive." Hermione hugged Ron before moving to Harry then Ginny. Harry reapplied his glamours and joined the others. They thanked the Grangers for the first proper tea they had enjoyed all week before walking out the door.

Standing on the front step Harry looked to his friends, "Do you guys feel like making an entrance?"

They grinned at him and he was reminded that the Twins' sense of fun was a family trait.

Ooooooo

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was enjoying a quiet lunch that Thursday. The attack on Hogsmeade had shocked the small community, and the loss of four of their own galvanized three quarters of the school. When the Potions Master managed to drag himself to the Groundskeeper's hut on Monday morning, the whole school mourned the loss of at least one of their brightest stars. Though not everyone knew her well, news of Hermione's death brought the war home. The fact that her body was not recovered, and that her friends had not been seen since bred an aura of anxiety.

It was into this tense atmosphere that the three returning heroes appeared. The skylight charm in the ceiling suddenly grew ominously stormy moments before an enormous bolt of lightning and a deafening clap of thunder rocked the hall. Those who looked up saw a giant bird with a fifteen foot wingspan clutching three children in its talons. The heroes whooped and screamed as if it were the best thrill ride they had ever been on. Perhaps it was. The massive thunderbird did a few aerial acrobatics before dropping the three at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Thanks Sparky! You beat out a phoenix any day." Harry scratched the bird on top of its head. The thunderbird gave a great cry that inspired a warrior's fire and disappeared with another crack of thunder and lightning, though less intense than the first. Had Fawkes been dining with the rest of the school it would likely have taken offense, but as usual he was not to be seen.

As soon as the great bird was gone, the school erupted in cheers to welcome home their own. Luna ran over and latched her arms around Harry's neck while he spun her to disperse the momentum. Surprisingly they managed to eat lunch before Dumbledore approached them.

"Mr. Black, would you and your companions please accompany me to my office so we may speak about your experiences?" He asked kindly.

"Why don't we discuss it here Headmaster? I'm sure that it would be best if the students heard the truth straight, rather than letting rumors ferment. And I know they want to hear it." Ron and Ginny nodded as the students around them cheered. They were heroes now and heroes could do no wrong.

Dumbledore looked slightly nervous, "I think it would be best if we discussed it privately. There are sensitive issues we must consider."

"Nonsense," Harry called happily. "Don't the students deserve to know the truth? We'll answer almost any question anyone cares to ask. Come on, let's hear them everyone!"

Dumbledore and McGonagall both frowned, but they couldn't forbid it without looking bad in front of the students.

A fourth year Ravenclaw asked the first question. "Where did they take you?"

Ginny answered, "We don't know for certain. They threw us in a dark hole after taking our wands. Voldemort came and tortured Simon before we managed to escape. I think we were in someone's basement but I didn't ask the Death Eaters who was responsible for the décor."

"How did you escape?" Someone asked.

Simon stepped forward. "I killed everyone between me and the door and we ran for our life."

There were assorted gasps.

"What? Did you think Death Eaters were invincible juggernauts incapable of being harmed? They are pitiful excuses for wizards who only succeed because you fear them. They merit nothing more than my scorn and hatred. They can be harmed and they can be defeated!" His voice rang with conviction and a fire that the students respected.

"How did Hermione die?" Lavender Brown asked.

"She was fighting with Bellatrix Lestrange when she was hit in the chest with a killing curse. But she was avenged! Within moments of her being hit, I personally sent that bitch to hell! Bellatrix Lestrange is nothing but a memory and a greasy stain on my robes. Hermione, my father, the Longbottoms, and hundreds of others can rest now."

Neville walked over and shook his hand with a positively feral glint in his eye, "Thank you."

"We know Professor Snape was injured trying to rescue you but he won't tell us how. Did any of you see it?"

Dumbledore moved to cut them off. "The nature of Professor Snape's injuries is strictly confidential. Please respect his privacy." He said to the assembled students.

"What? That's the worst load of shite I've ever heard!" Ron yelled.

"Let me tell you exactly how "professor" Snape received his injuries!" Simon was incensed. "Your precious professor was there alright, but he wasn't trying to save us. When I shattered his knees he was busy trying to curse Ginny in the back, Did I mention he was wearing a Death Eater uniform at the time? It was because of him that I could not turn to help Hermione before she was hit with the killing curse. After we finished with everyone else in the room he refused to tell us the way out and I was forced to extract the answers in a more painful manner. If he is still here tomorrow and not rotting in Azkaban where he belongs I hope you will all have the sense to ask yourselves why."

"He was trying to kill us not save us!" Ginny added.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Dumbledore yelled over the sudden roar. "You three will see me in my office now!"

"Just a moment Headmaster I have only one last thing I need to do first." Harry walked over to the Slytherin Table and stood before a particular blonde student. "I have a message from your father. What was it? Oh yes, I remember now…" Harry grinned evilly and whined in a piteous voice. "Please, I beg you. Don't kill me!" Then Harry dropped the Malfoy family ring on the table and tossed his parting shot to a stunned table. "Dieing on your knees is so pathetic, LORD Malfoy."

Ooooooo

In his office Dumbledore was raging, "How could you publicly compromise Professor Snape in that manner? You are all aware of his importance to our side in this war!"

"He faced me in battle and lost. When he called himself my enemy he lost any consideration I may have given his position." Harry answered coldly.

"He attacked us when we were outnumbered three to one!" Ginny said with particular venom.

"How did you acquire wands and weapons while being help captive?" was the next question.

"We are not going to answer that."

"Must you be so uncooperative?" McGonagall snapped.

"Would you tell me the intricate details of your plans or methods? I am not part of your Order and I will not divulge my secrets to anyone who is not worthy."

"Where were you between Sunday evening and today?" Dumbledore asked with only the barest courtesy in his voice.

"I took everyone to a safe house I had set up in case I needed to run. I called one of my contacts and we were treated by a healer for our wounds. After we had acquired replacement wands and I was no longer stuck with a sling on my left arm we decided to return."

"Where is this house and which healer treated you?"

"Oh hell no! I am certainly not revealing that information."

"Are you set on being against me in this matter Mr. Black?" Dumbledore was all business now.

"I am afraid I have nothing to say that I will not say in front of a crowd."

"Mr. Simon Black you have admitted to kidnapping two of your fellow students for four days to an unknown location. You have admitted to knowingly attacking and causing permanent damage to a professor of Hogwarts. You have refused to help us in the war against the Dark Lord Voldemort, and have ruined our only spy within his forces thereby putting his life in jeopardy. You have fought my authority at every turn. There is no longer a place for you at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. From this moment forward you are expelled, you will hand me your wand."

Harry handed over one of the captured wands which Dumbledore and McGonagall grabbed opposing ends of before snapping it.

"Very well Professor. From this point forward I will not render you any aid or assistance. You and your associates are forbidden from entering any of the properties I control. Anything left inside will be placed on the curb of the street for you to collect. If you did not need to control every little detail we could have worked well together."

Ron placed his hand on his friend's shoulder in support. "Headmaster, as of this moment I am withdrawing from your school. I cannot agree with your judgment and I will not be returning while you are in charge. Simon, I'm with you to the end. Lead me and I will follow."

Ginny was about to speak up when Harry put his finger on her lips and whispered in her ear. "Not yet. Complete your OWLs and look after Luna for me would you? Remember how Hermione contacted me? I'll set up something similar for you as soon as I can."

Ginny glared for a moment before looking determined and nodding her agreement. "Ron, you know Mum is going to kill you. I won't tell her anything we didn't already agree on but you know this will really light her fire."

"Good day Professors." Harry and Ron left the office. Two men forced to grow up to soon, brothers in arms and bound by shared demons. It was decided the golden trio would rise from the ashes and seek new grounds to raise hell in.

Oooooo

With Hermione's help they broke the Fidelius at number twelve and replaced it with his own. The hardest part was completely erasing the runes which had been carved into the foundation of the building to anchor the charm. Thanks to Hermione's extensive skill in Runes they were able to begin re-carving them almost as soon as the spell fell. Four hours later Harry could feel someone beating against the wards of the house as they managed to raise their own Fidelius around the property. Yet again Hermione's brain had saved them from potential trouble. The wards might not have held long enough to retry if the first attempt had not been textbook perfect. If it was cast wrong or the anchors were misaligned the runes might explode and need to be carved yet again.

When the Grangers eventually made their decision, Harry had to put in a call.

"Yuri, good to speak to you my friend. I feel like spending money and I hope you can help me. I've lost some records and need your help finding them… My sister, Olya Markarov, age seventeen, one hundred seventy centimeters brown hair brown eyes, she was a top student. Do you think you can help me locate her lost records?... No, thirty five hundred is perfectly acceptable. While we're talking money I need a triple order of all those interesting supplies you helped me find back in August… Hmm… I don't remember it being that bad before. Fifteen thousand is a bit expensive. I'll give you twenty if you throw in two more pairs of glasses. Let's try for something a little less noticeable this time. One pair of lady's reading glasses and some sporty sunglasses. Does that sound fair?... Ok, I can do twenty one. Thanks Yuri, I knew you were the best that's why I came to you first… Yeah I know I owe you one, we can talk about it when I stop by next week to pick everything up."

Harry hung up the phone and turned to the Grangers. "Good news, I've fixed Hermione's living impairment. I hope you don't mind becoming my sister?"

"Of course not. I really don't want to know about the other half of that conversation do I?" She replied.

"Probably not," He agreed, "But I did get you a spiffy pair of glasses that act like Moody's eye except they can't see through clothing. You'll need to learn Russian and Japanese if you are going to pass as my sister though. I'll pick them up when I get your new identity."

"Umm… Harry? When you said you'd pay thirty five hundred, what currency were you using?" Mr. Granger asked. "We're grateful for your help but you're spending a lot of money on all. We are not poor, but we are proud."

"It was galleons. Throw in all the other stuff I just got her too, and we're looking at seven thousand galleons, thirty five thousand pounds… Perfect grades and a completely legitimate passport don't come cheap, nor do all the other essentials. We're through the looking glass now sir, the rules just got thrown out the window."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer; if you do not pay your internet bills they will turn it off and you will be denied access to all your yummy fanfics. That's my excuse anyway, no job led to no money which led to no internet…

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The day after Harry and Hermione managed to raise their own Fidelius in London, Luna and Ginny both received letters at Hogwarts. Ginny read through hers but frowned in confusion. The letter made little sense and seemed to be written in very broken French. The sentences made no sense and some words were outlined with boxes. The only thing that did make any sense was the instruction to go see Luna and her letter. Luna's letter was whole and in English but seemed to have upset her a little bit as she read it. Ginny arrived just in time to see her set the letter down with a slight tear in her eye.

"Luna, what's wrong?" Ginny asked her friend.

"He really is clueless isn't he Ginny?" Luna handed her letter over indicating it would explain.

Ginny skimmed the letter. "Yes he is. I'll help you set him right whenever we see him next. What does this last bit mean? He wants us to look at the overlap? What overlap? My letter makes no sense."

Luna in the meantime had taken one look at Ginny's letter and transfigured a nearby knife into a scalpel. She was cutting out the boxed in words when Ginny looked back to her. "These words are misspelled and boxed in. If we remove them and lay your letter over mine we might get a secret message. He told me this was a common way spies communicated in the muggle world."

"By looking at the overlap… Well done Luna, let's see what the message is."

"The… Password… Is… The… First... Part… Of… Our… Questioners… Name… And… Something… Unique… About… My… Aura… Two… Words…" Luna read for them. "I think he wants us to work together again. I don't know of any questioners and I don't know what the password controls but I do know something unique about his aura."

"I think I know what this means. Come on, we need to go somewhere private before I tell you what I think this is." Ginny dragged her friend away from the lunch table.

A few minutes later Ginny paced outside the door of the Room of Requirement, asking for the most secure room in the castle with no portraits. When they got inside Ginny locked the four different locks on the door and cast silencing charms and an imperturbable charm on the door.

"If this is what I think it is we can't use the password where anyone can see or hear. Let me see your letter please Luna." Ginny cast a detection spell and the letter glowed. "Ok, the first part of the password I know. When we were away we met someone important, he worked for the Government and was only introduced as Agent Green. So the first part is Agent, but what is in his aura?"

"He has the rune Sowhilo on his forehead. So the password is Agent Sowhilo? What does it go to though?"

"This…" Ginny tapped the letter with her wand and it became a box with another letter and a brand new Technomancer's phone.

Luna read through the letter. "He says we can call him at night or during dinner. He is planning to move again and says those are the times he will have free to talk. His number is already stored in the phone and he hopes to talk to us soon."

"We better destroy the first letter. No one is supposed to know about these. They are some big secret." After seeing Luna nod agreement they set fire to the letter and vanished the ashes.

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Harry's phone started ringing just as he was about to leave to collect Hermione's passport and his supplies. "Black, what do you need?"

"Simon! We got your package and wanted to let you know we liked your puzzle." Luna's voice lacked its usual musical tone.

"I'm glad to hear that. I wanted to give you girls a way to keep in touch with the rest of us in case you need anything. Is there something wrong Luna? You don't sound the same."

"It's nothing Simon, don't worry about me." She sounded sadder as she said this.

"No it's obviously something; please tell me what's bothering you Luna."

"I don't really know how to say it. It's just, well… Your letter said that now that you were gone I could go after whatever boy I have been crushing over."

"Yes, is there something wrong? Did he say something to you? If he did I swear I'll come back there and…"

"No!" Luna stopped him before he could get going. "You really are clueless aren't you? It's you Harry, I like you. I liked our study sessions and your support. I liked your kisses and the way you held me. You always saw me for who I was and that was all I ever wanted."

"Oh…" Harry was a little shocked. "Well how about I come visit you on Hogsmeade weekends then? I'm sorry I can't be around for you all the time but they kind of kicked me out."

"Really? You'll come back for me? Oh you are the best boyfriend ever!" Luna was back to her usual bubbly self.

"So I guess this means we are done practicing?" Harry teased her.

"Oh I don't know, I might need to practice other things too one day. So we'll sign you up for the basic boyfriend package and you can practice towards the advanced." She teased back.

"Ravenclaws, they've got a system for everything…"

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Harry landed in Leningrad once more. "Ivan, it's good to see you again. Any more snakes under the desk for me?"

The husky Russian smiled at him. "No Mr. Markarov, there are no basilisks here today. Welcome back to the Motherland. Do you have anything to declare?"

"Nothing to declare, I'm just passing through again. Say, you seem to know everybody, do you know if there are a lot of people looking for work?" Harry was certain that he was at least partially working for his cousin Yuri, and probably knew all the other players locally too since he was supposed to stop them. At the very least he knew that the right bribe could bring anything past this checkpoint.

Ivan stamped his passport with his arrival date before answering. "Of course, ever since the Party lost power times have been pretty tough. Are you planning to start a business or something?"

"Not exactly but I occasionally have some things to do that require strong young men who aren't afraid to get dirty. I work in construction, you see. Disciplined young men who can follow orders are always needed."

"Well they are not in short supply here in Leningrad. Welcome home Mr. Markarov." Ivan waved him through, ending the conversation.

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Not long after he was walking into Yuri's store and collecting his equipment. He purchased the glasses, passport, body armor, and other gear that had been gathered for him. "So tell me about this favor I owe you. I appreciate that you've never come up short when I needed something, but I'll have to warn you that the US government is onto me. I can't get caught bringing another shipment of questionable goods home. I can handle most others but I've been warned to keep my interests abroad."

Yuri gestured to a pair of wingback leather chairs and poured them both some tea. "It's nothing major my young friend, I just want you to keep an eye out for something in your travels. Recently someone had the audacity to steal a very valuable book from my home. He was an Englishman according to my guards. The book was called "The Soul's Descent into Darkness by Cygnus the Wise" it is a very old book about soul magic and the Dark Arts. A distinguishing mark on my copy is a long scratch on the back cover from a dragon's claw. If you see my book I would appreciate having it returned, or if you hear of someone trying to sell it let me know and I'll send someone around to take care of them."

"I can think of a handful of names in England who would want that book. I doubt the average street thief would try to steal from you, and it's even less likely he would have the training in the Dark Arts to use that book. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Lestrange, Dolohov, Rookwood, Snape, Travers, Jugson, Macnair, Mulciber, Flint, and Pettigrew might all have done it but ultimately my money is on the big fish, Tom Marvolo Riddle also know as Lord Voldemort. If it was one of them, I'd rather just pay a little extra for my goods in the future because I am not going to commit suicide for a discount. I'll check the Fences that I know of when I pass through England, and I'll keep my eyes open for another copy of the book, but if they've got it good luck ever seeing it again."

"You know a lot about the Dark Arts in England then?" Yuri asked curiously.

"I do to an extent. While there are probably just as many individual practitioners of the Dark Arts in Britain as anywhere else, those fourteen families are organized around Riddle like a mafia of sorts. A generation ago you could have added the Blacks to that list but they've left that game. The Death Eaters have owned the British underground these past two years so I don't do much business there anymore."

"What about yourself? Where do you stand when it comes to the Dark Arts?"

"I think that really depends on whose definition of Dark you use, after all some things are labeled Dark for purely political reasons. If the British Government knew they would say I regularly use several dark artifacts, and have cast spells that would put me in prison for life. I certainly have a large library containing several Dark Arts texts and a collection of dark items. But for all of this I would have to say I am not a Dark Wizard. I don't use the Dark Arts unless my life is on the line, but I know a few." Harry admitted carefully. The Black family library had some very interesting books of curses that he knew couldn't be legal, and there was the incident with Lestrange. No, Harry was far from pure but he wasn't Dark either.

"That's a sensible attitude. When the day is done, I as much a scholar as I am a business man. I started a very long time ago hoping to learn everything there was to learn, but the Party only wanted certain subjects taught. They said that all comrades should be equals, so those subjects which required inborn talent and uncommon dedication were banned. My search for books and skills that the Party did not want taught allowed me to make many connections and curry favors with certain people. Over the years I built a reputation out of being able to secure what others could not, and became the businessman I am today. I have studied magic in all forms even the vilest Dark Arts, but I am not an evil man either." Yuri spread his arms to indicate his piece of heaven in the impoverished neighborhood.

"I have to respect that I guess. I've begun to make a few connections myself, but I doubt I'll find myself in competition with you." Harry drained his tea. "I'll be sure to ask around about your book, but I don't know what help I can really provide."

"I appreciate your help. I'd also appreciate it if you did not conduct business with the Death Eaters or their associates until this is resolved. We work on trust here in the underground, and a theft is a serious breach of that trust. Within a few days others will similarly be turning away their business."

"You can count on me there. I have a lot of personal history with the Death Eaters and I will never deal with them willingly or knowingly. I am surprised you trusted me so quickly though."

"You've always played things straight with me and the others. We may not know who you really are, but then again we don't need to. What we do know is that you have never once opened a package you were given, and you have never been caught when we knew there were people who were looking for your shipments. There were times you couldn't make a run, but you told us right off when you would be able to. We appreciate someone who can respect a man's privacy and knows when to keep his curiosity in check. We've watched you and the consensus is that you are an honorable man. So long as you don't fuck us, we won't fuck you."

"It isn't a problem that I don't work directly for anyone?"

"Not really. In fact it is better for everyone. When one Fixer needs to deal with another, a freelancer is often the best way. Ignoring the current exchange, if I had product for the Death Eaters I would not send one of my own men to deliver it. The Death Eaters aren't polite when it comes to deliverymen so I would just offer a freelancer hazard pay and charge accordingly. Also when crossing national borders someone who works alone is less likely to be on a watch list. You used to be small fry and you ran your own game, before you saved my cousin you weren't even a blip for us to notice. Now that we know you're trustworthy we are willing to accept you into the big league. If you need work, someone will have some. We'll call from time to time if we have something that needs your special touch but for the most part it's all up to you." Yuri stood and extended his hand. "I would sit and talk with you Simon, but I've got another appointment soon."

Harry shook the offered hand. "Thank you for the tea Yuri. I appreciate your help with those supplies. The last set of armor saved my life. I'll keep you in mind when I need work, or even if I'm just taking a vacation and can slip a little something in on the side for you." He gave a wink.

"I hear Riyadh is a hot vacation spot this year." The Russian man laughed.

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Before he left St. Petersburg he visited a copy shop and had several flyers printed. He hung several on job notice boards around the city both magical and muggle parts. The flyers were vague but aimed at a certain set of people. Each flyer had several tear away tags with a number that connected to an answering machine Harry had set up and an address to a post office box.

_Private Firm seeking strong young men. We are in need of discreet young men who can follow instructions and are not afraid to get dirty or live in rough conditions. Must be able to work well as part of a team. English a plus but not required. Work features travel and excitement with excellent pay plus hazard pay when warranted; downsides include travel, excitement, and occasional need for hazard pay. Medical, Dental, and Life insurance among our benefits package. Preference given to Veterans or those with special skills, references required. Contact Mongoose Enterprises at the number below. _

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Back in England the Granger family had been working to close down their practice and pack their things. Hermione was able to speed things up significantly with the help of magic. In the two weeks since the kidnapping, they were able to make many preparations for their move. They decided to use some of the money Sirius had given them to purchase a small home in Savannah Georgia and some to live on until they could start a new dentistry practice there. Skilled dentists could find work wherever they went so the move was not going to hurt them much in the long run.

Despite his repeated offers they steadfastly refused Harry's help with anything. They did not even accept his assistance moving furniture since Hermione's shrinking and levitation charms did all the hard work. Seeing that he was not going to gain ground there he turned to his own homes. With a little effort and a lot of legwork, Harry used his Juan Gonzales alias to purchase a three bedroom condominium with a view of the water in a muggle neighborhood just a few minutes away from the Grangers. He and Ron visited all four of the apartments or homes he owned in Britain to activate all the wards and gather anything useful. From the Potter and Black Vaults and Grimmauld Place they managed to amass a very large library, and a collection of magical items and artifacts that might become useful at some point. Harry also made a very large withdrawal from his vaults and converted just over half of it to muggle currency. With the combined resources of both families he had almost two and a half million galleons, he was going to take half a million with him to the States to live on and fund his vendettas.

When the day of the move arrived Harry, Ron, and Hermione traveled magically while the Grangers took an airplane. Harry Ron and Hermione each carried several thick books of pocket vaults, which caused a bit of a hiccough at customs. They explained to the inspector that they were moving and this was just their belongings before proceeding to Harry's new home.

While they waited for Hermione's parents, they started unpacking. Harry and Ron both chose a room while the third was to become the library and equipment room. They pulled out and enlarged their bedroom furniture before starting on their personal possessions. Hermione set up the living room furniture before turning her attention to the library.

Together the three of them cast expansion charms to provide enough room before they began unpacking the bookshelves. Hermione pulled them out and un-shrank them before directing the boys on where to put them. She knew that if she left it up to them there would be no organization at all and she would never find anything. Dark Arts of any sort were given their own section away from the others while everything else was sorted by type of magic and author. Fortunately there were spells to help in this or else it would have taken forever.

They were exhausted nine hours later when Dan and Emma Granger arrived in a rental car. The Grangers were similarly exhausted. After a short meal Harry and Ron transfigured the couch and a chair into beds for themselves giving the Grangers their rooms and beds.

The next day Ron went with Hermione to the new Granger residence and helped them unpack. Harry stayed to organize their magical equipment and artifacts. He hung all of the weapons on hooks from the back wall of the library and transfigured a desk into a work bench with a variety of drawers and shelves. Potions went on the shelves while items such as rings, bracers, amulets, and other jewelry went into the drawers. The three invisibility cloaks they had acquired (one from the Blacks, one from the Potters, and one captured from the Death Eaters) were hung from pegs next to the body armor. From the Black Vault and home they had recovered a small collection of cursed items and some poisons which were placed in a locked drawer.

Once he was done in the library Harry went to every window in the condo casting unbreakable charms. The sliding glass doors that led to his personal balcony also received an enchantment to make them work like a one way mirror so others would not be able to see in. That done he set to organizing the kitchen and making a shopping list for food.

The only wizarding portrait in the new home was one of Hogwarts' least popular Headmaster, Phineas Nigellus Black, and was hung in a silenced cupboard facing the air conditioner, just in case they needed an emergency method to contact Hogwarts.

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After a week life in Savannah had settled down. Hermione was over at the condo (which had been christened " Exile Island" in jest) daily to keep up her studies. She and Ron were in the process of being tested and certified to perform magic while Harry was buried in notes and diagrams for the wards he wanted to cast. He was determined that he was going to erect the wards around HIS home by himself but was not too troubled about when that happened. He wanted a relatively simple scheme that would not leave him open to attack.

The first two wards to go up were anti apparition and anti portkey wards. All three of the trio were keyed into the apparition ward but only Harry could make portkeys into the home. Making the structure fireproof was a simple matter, but the entire building had to be done not just Harry's condo. Identification, alarm, and motion sensing wards were relatively easy once he understood them. Mail wards came next with only Hedwig and Pig allowed to make deliveries, everything else was redirected to the muggle mail box downstairs. He was still sketching runes, power grids and alignments for the Fidelius and unplottable enchantments which were to be the last, when Hermione and Ron popped in. Hermione's face was practically glowing as she waved a sheet of paper.

"I take it everything went well?" Harry asked her.

"I passed everything with flying colors, got approved for apparition, and I even got a license to make portkeys professionally."

"Congratulations on your good marks, I knew you could. Great work getting the portkey license. I might be able to upgrade mine by now but for the first time through you must have done really well. You wouldn't be interested in a job would you? I will eventually need a few portkeys but for certain reasons my license as it is won't cover them."

"You know I have to record every portkey I sell don't you? If you are planning to do something sneaky, I might be the thing that gets you caught." Hermione gave him a half hearted glare but quit because she wouldn't stop smiling.

"No this is actually about me trying to do things properly for once. Aside from just trying to ward my home, I'm also studying for two Professional level certifications. I'm hoping to test in Defense and Security soon. Maybe I'll upgrade my portkey license then, maybe not. Eventually I will want potions, charms, and transfiguration at Professional level too."

"Why just those two, and why now?" Ron asked.

"Simple, I'm starting a security company. We will provide warding, emergency portkeys, disaster plans, threat assessment, home safety inspections, and bodyguards. I'm going to make a killing off of Voldemort and his lackeys." Harry gave a feral grin.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer; Sometimes the only thing that you can do is sit back and celebrate the death of your dreams.

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Harry touched down in Johannesburg South Africa. According to his research of muggle and magical news, this would be a prime recruiting ground. Magical unemployment was at an all time high and with the abolition of Apartheid there were certain opportunities here that he wouldn't find anywhere else. Johannesburg also had the benefit of playing host to one of Armando's partners who Harry wanted to get in contact with.

In the muggle world he left several recruitment flyers similar to those he left in St. Petersburg and Biloxi Mississippi. The new flyers stressed his willingness to hire anyone based on their skills rather than their race, but contained the same pointed job description.

In the magical world he placed a newspaper advertisement in addition to his flyers. Here he specifically advertised the need for skills in Runes and Arithmancy in addition to discretion and teamwork. The idea of course was to hire people who could erect the ward schemes he would design. Compared to Great Britain, the cost of living in Russia and South Africa was much lower allowing him to pay comparatively excellent wages without breaking his bank. Fifteen thousand pounds or three thousand galleons a year plus hazard pay was a pittance in London but a respectable wage in the slums of Johannesburg, St. Petersburg and other parts of the world. Hopefully once he was set up the money would begin flowing in the other direction.

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Nigel Stuart was a descendant of the original Dutch settlers, he grew up in a privileged family but soon fell in with the "wrong crowd". Ironically it was this same wrong crowd that allowed him to escape the violence that was so prevalent at the moment. He was uniquely positioned to have all of the upper crust friends and favors and yet also have friends and favors owed among what had until recently been the working class. When his schoolyard friends went off to the mines, became servants, or joined various paramilitary groups, Nigel kept in contact even though they were "beneath him." At the same time he cultivated all the business connections and social obligations of the old money aristocracy. In Britain he would be a Pureblood of unquestioned stature, who invited men like Mundungus Fletcher over for tea and biscuits.

When Harry approached the gates of his home in a taxi several things struck him. Unlike all of the surrounding homes, the Stuart family home did not have any armed guards or high walls surrounding the property. There was a wrought iron fence and gate around the entrance, but for the most part this above anything else told Harry he had found the right man. The neighbors lived in fear and hid behind the security their money provided. Stuart's security came from simply being who he was, which spoke volumes. He paid the taxi and walked up to the door.

"Is Mr. Stuart in? If you could tell him that Mr. Markarov is here for his appointment, I would appreciate it." Harry told the doorman.

"Of course sir. If you would please follow me you may wait for him in the salon." The butler was a tall, well muscled Indian man who led Harry to a sitting room decorated in a conservative European style. "Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Stuart will be along in just a few minutes."

While he waited, Harry reflected on the things he had yet to do. From Russia, America, and South Africa he could acquire employees with skills he would need. Britain had money and work to do. What he still lacked was a central location to work from, his certifications, a business permit, and certain equipment. With some effort, Grimmauld place could become a barracks for the bodyguards. One of the Potter homes could serve to house the ward specialists. Perhaps one of the apartments could be used for a home office. It would take time to get everything set up just right but Harry honestly felt it was the best way to approach the problem until Dumbledore pulled his head out of his ass and let others run their own lives.

Nigel Stuart was dressed in a khaki colored suit when he entered the room and shook Harry from his plotting. "Mr. Markarov, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Word has been going round the Old Firm about your skills, welcome aboard."

"The pleasure is mine Mr. Stuart. I'm in the process of starting my own empire here so knowing all the old players is a step in the right direction. I'm trying to set up a security company to deal with Britain's current instability. I think that the time is ripe to break new ground in Britain, the Government is in shambles, criminals are taking over, but the resistance is slowly gathering strength. By moving now I can get my foot in the door for whenever the current Dark Lord is gone."

"If you are right about who will win, then your instincts are pretty good. So tell me about your business plan and tell me what you've come for today. I know it isn't just a social call."

"Well the problem in Britain for the common man right now is one of trust. The Dark Lord has supporters within the Government which have slowed the build up of Aurors and law enforcement personnel. Witness protection is non existent and the only alternative to the Government and the Death Eaters is a group of half trained vigilantes lead by a manipulative has been. My company when it is established will provide stronger wards, safe rooms, escape routes, emergency plans, and even bodyguards for those that can pay. Now I've already started recruiting and I'm going to be selective about who I hire. What I need from you is pretty minor. I've located a lot of equipment of the sort I will need, but my money isn't anything they will accept. I came to you because you are known for dealing in that universal currency, Diamonds, among other things."

"That sounds like a good plan, though you are certainly taking the long view." Nigel slouched in his chair a little. "You'll make a quick buck from the war, but gaining control of the underground will take quite a while. So how many diamonds do you need?"

"This time it will only be two hundred thousand American dollars, but if I develop a good relationship with these men, you might see me more often. I expect that Britain will not be as hard to secure as you assume. I've already got the backing and support of two Great Families; one light, one dark to help me smooth things over. I will of course need to keep myself updated in all the latest methods of circumventing my security measures, so I will occasionally need to consult with thieves, fences, and smugglers." Harry opened his briefcase and turned it to expose the twenty stacks of hundred dollar bills it contained.

"You've caught me at the right time it seems. Just last week a group of freedom fighters in Sierra Leone brought me a very nice selection of diamonds from the mines they control in payment. Because of this I am short of hard currency and flushed with stones." Nigel snapped his fingers and spoke to his house elf in a strange language. "I believe I can part with two hundred fifty carats of cut and finished stones for that price."

Harry nodded. "That comes out to… eight hundred dollars per carat? That sounds very generous, I was told to expect about a thousand per. My deal on the other end was for one hundred seventy five carats so I think we have a deal."

The elf arrived with a thin steel case. After entering the combination on the latch and pressing his thumb to the magic sensing plate, Nigel opened the case for Harry to inspect. The interior of the case was covered in foam with a black velvet lining; there were twenty indented rows in the bottom part of the case. Each row contained twenty five bright little stars, glittering with perfection. The diamonds were shining brightly against the black background they were nestled in. Each stone was cut to be one half of a carat. Harry was far from an expert on diamonds, but he knew an impressive sight when he saw it. He guessed it was time to fall back on that trust they were supposed to operate on here. He mentally told himself to make an appointment with the Goblins of Gringotts to have the stones appraised before his next deal, but for now he shook hands to seal the deal. Nigel gave him the combination and added Harry to the magic sensing lock before making a show of taking himself off.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Markarov. Keep in touch and let me know how things go back home, I've been trying to get an in with the IRA for years but if it wasn't one thing it was another." Nigel stood to shake his hand one last time.

"I'll try to keep you informed. Now if you'll excuse me I have a few more things to pick up before I need to get back home." Harry exited the house and made his way back to the magical part of the city, made a few purchases and caught a phoenix to Switzerland where he placed his diamonds in a safe deposit box until he needed them.

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It was the second week of November before Harry found time to take his tests in Defense and Security. He passed the Defense test with flying colors naturally, but he barely squeaked by with an acceptable grade in the Security exam. As before it tested him on potions, charms, strategy, and wards, but unlike before it tested his ability to brew, cast, implement and lay all of the material covered. The test actually took place over three days. The written part was done the first morning with charms and strategy practical in the afternoon. The second day featured a morning in the potions lab and the afternoon with wards. In that afternoon and the following day he had to erect five different wards (his choice) around a small cottage, and then dismantle them to reset the course for the next person. His potions and charms were acceptable, but his strategy practical had a few setbacks. He could make excellent plans in his mind, but he couldn't follow through when things got sticky, he was too likely to stand and fight. He managed to raise and take down alarm, intruder, fireproofing, identification, and anti-apparition wards, but the examiner took off points for his sloppy execution and a flaw he found that allowed someone who could bypass the identification ward to ignore the intruder ward. The wards were not woven together for maximum power efficiency and a few of his runes were misaligned. At the end of the day however he did manage both Professional certifications.

Given his extensive practice with them by this point it was not a problem at all to upgrade his Portkey license to a commercial one. He was soon able to legally sell his portkeys to any destination within two thousand miles for groups up to ten, or twenty people within five hundred miles. He was required to keep a log of details for his commercial portkeys, when they were sold, to whom they were sold, how many people used each one, and the destination. This was mainly for his own safety, but could also be requested by any auror or government official in the line of duty. If for instance he sold a portkey for two to someone who later took five people along and got misdirected, the log book would prevent him from being liable since it was user error.

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Luna called Harry often, and occasionally loaned the phone to Ginny so that she could chat with Hermione or Ron. It was after one such chat that Ron cornered Harry in the library. "Hey mate, me and Ginny have got a question for you. What was the deal with those wands you loaned us back when we got captured, and why are our new wands working better than our original ones ever did? Do they make some kind of super wand here that we can't get back home? We've both noticed our spells are more powerful now."

"Oh it's nothing like that Ron. The wands don't make you any more or less powerful than you already are. Imagine a wand as a pair of eyeglasses or a lense to focus your strength. The wands I loaned you work about as well for everyone but perfectly for no one. They are like holding a magnifying glass over the page to read. It works but it isn't right. A wand from Olivander with one core, one wood, and nothing else, is like a pair of glasses you pick up at a chemist's shop. You can usually find something right off the shelf that works well for you. He keeps hundreds of wands in stock and sells one to everyone who comes by. The wands you are using now are like going to a healer and having them match your glasses perfectly to your eyes. Mine has two cores, one wood, and a gem. Hermione's is one core, one wood and a gem. Each one is unique and costs more than usual, but it fits you exactly right."

"So there's no conspiracy by the Ministry to keep everyone using inferior wands?" Ron asked "No secret that only rich purebloods get to take advantage of? No plot to keep the ignorant muggle born students down?"

"Sorry but no. You were using Charlie's wand until the end of Second Year, didn't you ever wonder what he was using?" Harry pointed out the obvious.

"Rats, I was so sure we could wind up Hermione about injustice and bigotry again." Ron sighed in defeat.

"Why would we want to do that?" Harry asked.

"You haven't noticed? She's been really quiet lately and kind of withdrawn. I think there is something bothering her that she won't talk to us about."

"Well I did notice some change, but I just thought it was her dealing with helping her parents and the move."

"I don't know what it is, but I don't think it's that. She was a little quieter and withdrawn earlier in the year, but I just thought it was your disappearance. Since we found you out though it's only gotten worse. I just don't understand."

"I don't know either Ron, but I'm going to find out. I've been so busy bouncing all over the world and making plans I've neglected my friends. I'm sorry Ron. I haven't been a good friend lately. I'm going to fix that, starting with Hermione."

"No, you've been a great friend Harry. You save our lives, help us get to safety, you've given me a place to live and stand out on my own instead of just being another Weasley. I can't even count the things you've done for Hermione and her parents. I know you were behind them finding a place for their offices so fast. I don't know how, but you've been watching out for us and taking care of everything else too. Let me know what you find out from Hermione. I'd do it, but you know I can't handle the mushy stuff." Ron shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

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When Harry appeared in Hermione's living room, he was greeted with a sight he wasn't expecting. Hermione was sitting in an armchair reading a book, dressed only in her bathrobe. Harry flushed red and spun around. "Uh… um… Hello Hermione."

"Oh honestly! I'm covered, you can turn around Harry." She sounded exasperated.

Given permission, Harry turned back to face her and took a seat on the nearby couch. "Hermione, I am sorry I haven't been a better friend. I've been so busy and I just didn't pay attention. I'm sorry. Ron pointed out how I've been ignoring you, but I want to try and fix that."

"You've been a great friend Harry. Why would Ron say that?" She set her book aside and gave him her attention.

"No I haven't. There is something bothering you, but I've been too wrapped up in annoying Dumbledore and running around the world that I never noticed. Ron had to come to me because he was worried about you. I can't believe I missed all the signs."

"Harry, there's nothing wrong." She tried to tell him.

"No, there obviously is something wrong. You haven't been yourself lately, and we've noticed. I don't know what it is but ever since we came back from break you weren't as involved in everything. Ron wanted to call it distress over my disappearance but you've only gotten worse since you found me out. I didn't notice until we moved over here and thought it was stress from moving and leaving Hogwarts. It's been a few weeks now Hermione; you visit less often and there's just something missing when you do. Please tell us what's wrong. We're your friends and we care."

"I don't want to talk about it Harry." Hermione's eyes were cloudy and she seemed to freeze up.

"It's easier to deal with things when you tell your friends Hermione. I know I am not one to talk here but I'm trying to help. You've all helped me when I was being stubborn and angsty, please let me help you."

"Fine! You want to know what's wrong?" Hermione had tears running down her face. She stood up and moved in front of him before dropping her robe to the floor. "Look at me Harry! Look at me…"

As Harry tried to find his voice, Hermione fell to her knees sobbing.

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And with that as a cliffy we'll cut the story short to introduce some of my side characters a little better. It's time to play "Meet the Fixer!" where we examine the major players and their turf in the international alliance called the "Old Firm."

**Yuri Petrovich** is Harry's sponsor in the underworld. He is based in St. Petersburg/Leningrad and predictably speaks Russian. Roughly sixty years old, Yuri got involved in the underworld in search of restricted knowledge. He is a scholar and a business man in equal parts. He specializes in magical weapons and spy equipment, claiming Russia and the former Soviet Bloc as his territory. He owns a chain of convenience stores in Eastern Europe.

**"Armando"** is a Cuban national who runs the Caribbean and Latin America. He is a younger man, maybe in his mid thirties, with a musical accent and voice well suited to singing Reggae. He specializes in providing second hand or stolen Technomancy to the less developed parts of the world. He is most notable for his partnership with the Japanese Fixer "**Yamamoto**". His motivations and reasons for joining the underworld remain unknown but he generally approaches life with a relaxed "come what may" attitude. Most commonly found relaxing in a lounge chair with a mojito in front of one of his hotels.

**"The Colonel"** is the picture of a Southern Gentleman. He has a good natured laugh that belies his nearly ancient appearance. Rumor has it that he is nearly one hundred fifty years old and may have fought in "the War of Northern Aggression" as he calls it. His interests are mainly political, but he is at least peripherally involved with certain militia and "reenactment" or "heritage" groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans. His specialties are political favors and special permits thanks to his powerful lobbying groups. It is rumored that he has close ties with **Nigel Stuart** but neither will confirm it. He is based in his family home somewhere in the heart of Alabama but the home's unplottable nature makes this difficult to pin down, he controls the south east United States.

**Nigel Stuart** is a Boer descended South African. The apparent youngest established Fixer, he appears to be in his mid to late twenties and speaks Afrikaans. He rose to power as his country remade itself to suit modern times. While publicly an old money aristocrat living off his ancestor's misdeeds he actually specializes in money laundering and finance in southern Africa. He claims sub-Saharan Africa as his territory, and can sometimes swing economic or political favors in the developing nations depending on which of his clients is in power this week. It is possible he was sponsored into the group by the Colonel as Yuri is doing for Harry.

**"Yamamoto"** is a rich Japanese industrialist who worked his way through the Yakuza before forming alliances with the Old Firm. He is a ruthless business man who has been known to be violent when necessary. Outside of Japan he specializes in muggle technology and corporate espionage. He maintains close ties with Armando not only to funnel supplies around the Colonel, but also to get his share of the Central American drug money through Techno gear. While stiffly polite he does not waste time with idle pleasantries. Publicly he is on the board of directors for an international electronics and technomancy corporation.

**Don Giovanni** puts the "Old" in the Old Firm. He is an elder vampire from Italy who claims to be over eight hundred years old. He is the founder of the current alliance of underworld businesses and focuses on providing knowledge and lost artifacts to collectors around the world. He is a premier source of Dark Arts knowledge and rare books in Europe. Among the unique magical treasures he owns is a ring which allows him to live in sunlight. He claims Italy, France, and Greece as his territory, often saying he loves the Mediterranean beaches. He is easy to spot, the palest man on the clothing optional beach outside his home city near Sicily.

**Simon Black/Yoshia Markarov** is the newest player on the scene. While originally only transporting others goods, with the assistance of Yuri Petrovich and others he is trying to establish himself as more than a package boy. After inheriting money and influence from others, he found himself cast out of England. He is taking advantage of the unstable British community to establish a security company. He is taking advantage of the changing muggle and magical worlds to acquire resources and workers at cut rates. His true identity, including age, is unknown to the larger group although most assume he is a well born Englishman just out of school who found the current conditions unlivable. The others respect and support his claim to the United Kingdom because the Death Eaters are not good for business and they hope to expand their own businesses through Harry into the isolationist country.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer; Harry Potter and associated characters belong to JK Rowling.

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_"Fine! You want to know what's wrong?" Hermione had tears running down her face. She stood up and moved in front of him before dropping her robe to the floor. "Look at me Harry! Look at me…" _

_As Harry tried to find his voice, Hermione fell to her knees sobbing. _

When Hermione's robe fell, there were many things running through Harry's mind. The immediate reaction came from the part of him that was still a teenage male, "Oh my God, Hermione's naked!" This was quickly squashed as his ingrained nobility kicked in, "Hermione is you friend, don't look at her that way." Quickly followed by guilt "I am so glad Luna will never hear about this." By the time his mind recovered enough to remember she was crying and why he was here in the first place, Hermione was crying loudly into her hands, her face hidden in shame.

As he moved to join her on the floor, the cold clinical part of Harry's brain finally began working and he thought about what he had seen. A long pink line nearly an inch wide stretched from Hermione's right shoulder to her waist on her left side. That was a very visible reminder of how close Dolohov had come to cutting her in half at the Department of Mysteries. Also clearly visible were nine scars across her chest and breasts. Some were merely jagged lines of puckered skin, but three looked as if someone had punched a round hole into her and removed the flesh like Harry imagined a gunshot wound might look. When the killing curse had shattered the steel plate in her armor it was clear that it didn't stop the damage entirely.

For a short while Harry just held Hermione against him while she cried on his shoulder. "It was so easy," he thought, "to forget the costs of fighting. So long as we live to see tomorrow we just bury the costs in some back part of our mind and try to forget. I thought when everyone came away from the battle breathing and able to walk that it meant we won. Broken bones hurt and cuts bled fiercely, but one night with a healer makes the pain go away and the blood vanish."

"Hermione, I don't know what to say." Harry said quietly as her sobbing eased.

"Just tell me the truth," She said bitterly. "I'm hideous now."

"No Hermione, that's not the truth and I won't say it." He ran his hand over her back, rubbing circles.

"Even my own mother was horrified when she saw me. She couldn't even look at me." She sniffed hard before continuing. "I'm nothing but a repulsive freak now."

Harry's hand stopped it's ministrations and his formerly soft embrace hardened. His voice was impossibly cold when he spoke. "Never. Say. That. Again."

The shock of his sudden change was almost enough to shock her out of her self pity. "But Harry…"

"Never." Harry's voice commanded. "No one calls my friend a freak. I've heard that word for the last time. No More!" He took several deep breaths before he relaxed and returned to comforting his friend. "Now you listen to me," his voice was softer and more loving but no less commanding, "You are not hideous or repulsive and you never will be. You are a very beautiful witch Hermione. Though your body is very nice, that isn't what makes you beautiful or attractive."

"Don't give me that 'inner beauty' crap Harry." She said with venom, "I know how boys think. You say looks aren't important but your actions speak for themselves."

"So you're going to be flashing all of your potential dates?" Harry asked with an amused voice. "You may know how boys think about girls, but you obviously don't understand how a man looks for a woman. If you asked me to describe physically an ideal woman, you'd hear something far different from Luna Lovegood. What you don't understand is that all of the things that make her imperfect or flawed are also what makes her human. I do not like Luna 'in spite of' her flaws. I like her AND her flaws. There is so much more to you than having flawless skin or a pretty face."

Harry heard the soft click of a door handle and looked up to see Dan Granger about to enter the room behind Hermione. Harry's eyes met his for a brief moment as he took in the scene of his naked daughter clinging to a teenage boy. Just as he opened his mouth to speak Harry's eyes began to glow that brilliant Killing Curse green with barely restrained emotions and magical power. He stared into those eyes and saw exactly who he was facing. Dan Granger decided this was one of those times he should choose his battles wisely and backed out of the room without making a sound. He could confront Harry alone later, but starting a scene now would only get ugly.

When the moment had passed Harry continued. "That said, those scars do show me your flaws. Do you want to know what I see?"

Hermione, who had been improving up to this point, withered slightly before nodding.

"I see courage, far too much courage. I see a loyalty to your friends that is unparalleled and unwavering. I see selflessness in spite of the risks. I see an unwavering devotion to morality and justice. I see compassion even for those who don't deserve it. You got one of those scars by following me into what you knew was a trap. You fought for me and for Sirius when no one else would. You did it because it was right not because it was easy. When we were captured, I remember what your first reactions were. You didn't think about the fact that you were going to be tortured and killed, only about keeping me from being caught too. Later when facing Bellatrix you tried to stun her rather than injuring or killing like the rest of us. You did not want to hurt anyone. Your scars are marks of compassion, loyalty, devotion, and your commitment to justice. I called them flaws only because they led to you being hurt. Never be ashamed of them. Anyone who would see those and think they detract even the slightest bit from your beauty or worth is even shallower than Ron."

Hermione sniffed a bit more before wiping her eyes on his already wet shirt. "Thank you Harry, I needed someone to say that. I don't know why I'm being such a girl. I would never go out with someone who only liked me because they thought I was pretty but…"

"There's no need to explain Hermione. I know…" Harry reached over and grabbed her robe from the floor before giving it to her with a slight blush. "If we're done crying for now, can you put your clothes back on? Your father is going to be mad enough at me already."

She laughed in nervous embarrassment for a moment and Harry knew he did the right thing. Nothing was "fixed" or "solved" but at least for the moment, he had his friend back.

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The talk with Hermione's parents was not quite as traumatic as Harry was expecting. Dan tried to tear strips out of him from the moment he joined them but Emma was at least willing to listen, if not actually on Harry's side, and prevented him. Once he explained -why- he had not immediately asked her to cover herself, and what had been going on, they settled down somewhat. Emma was shocked that her reactions had contributed to the problem. She explained that she was both embarrassed by barging in on her daughter in a state of undress, and completely at a loss about how to talk about the scars with Hermione so she ignored it and hoped she would broach the subject. Dan showed that not all men were clueless when he told her she needed to let Hermione know that she was horrified -for- Hermione not -of- her.

The Grangers thanked Harry for trying to help, and they all resolved to try to help Hermione anyway they could. Harry provided them with directions to Atlanta's magical district in hopes that a healer might have some method similar to plastic surgery to remove the scars. Harry didn't know for certain if there were anyone that specialized in that, but he knew that the school nurse and the healer they had seen after the latest battle had been more focused on a speedy recovery than cosmetic matters. Madam Pomphrey may be a great healer but Harry doubted the school nurse cared much beyond the immediate health of her charges since she had so many.

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"Thank you for giving me something to do. I thought I would go crazy if I had to hear my parents argue about what color to paint the garage, again." Hermione said to Harry the next weekend.

"No thank you. I've got a mountain of these to sort through. I never thought hiring a few thugs would actually be hard work!" Harry complained as he handed her a stack of files containing resumes and letters of recommendation for people who answered his ads.

"Are you a Dark Lord or a businessman?" Hermione chided him. "First of all you can't call them thugs, or minions, they are guards. Secondly you want quality people, not trolls like Crabbe and Goyle. How many are we looking for?"

"I'd like to have twenty five to thirty to start. Once I see what the demand is and we become a little better known I can expand a little. Having thirty to start means I can handle large jobs or events if they happen but doesn't weigh me down with too many just sitting around. I figure for any job we need guards will take six men per day. Two on shift at a time three shifts per day. Thirty men allow up to five jobs at a time and if the worst comes to pass I would be able to team up with the Order and provide and effective defense for Hogwarts."

"Do you think that's likely to happen?" Hermione asked.

"It's possible. Dumbledore and I are the only two things that can really slow Voldemort down, but I am not around anymore. It's almost certain that the Dark Lord knows the full prophecy by now so if he was as smart as he claims he will try to get rid of Dumbledore before I return. Removing Dumbledore means he takes out the Light's only real leader and experience in some of the older and more powerful magics."

"So you think an attack on Hogwarts is more a matter of when not if?"

Harry nodded grimly.

Today they were looking for people to serve as the guards and watchmen for Harry's business as well as labor or odd jobs. Responses in Russia and South Africa had been overwhelming and enthusiastic, the military restructuring both countries had recently gone through left a lot of well trained soldiers out in the cold. Hiring spell workers would come later as their skill sets were easier to identify on paper.

"Here's one Harry." Hermione passed a folder. "Muggle born wizard, average grades, enlisted in the muggle Red Army at seventeen, served four years as an embassy guard in France before trying to join the Aurors last year. The Auror Corps were full and his dueling wasn't exemplary enough to earn him a spot."

"That sounds good. He'll function in both worlds well enough. His dueling may be lacking but if he served in the military he'll have other ways to fight if he needs to. Put him on the short pile." Harry went back to his sorting. "Grunt… Grunt… Grunt… Kicked out for stealing… Oh, a Sergeant… Grunt… Grunt… Special Forces? Skill list… infiltration, reconnaissance, "problem solving?", asset retrieval, and marksmanship? Why is he in here? Hmm… Discharged for insubordination and suspected mental instability."

"Only suspected?" Hermione asked.

"His recommendations say he performed a body cavity search on a visiting diplomat. He claimed they were a spy hiding secret plans in his anus. He was dead wrong of course but was partially vindicated when they found explosives sewn into his aide's clothing. He was kicked out after he expressed to his superiors what he thought of their suggestion to visit a state psychologist."

"Harry, I know it may be tempting to have some super soldier on staff but I don't think we can afford to employ a schizophrenic muggle who's even more paranoid than Moody."

"He's not a muggle. He's a squib."

"Let me see that file." Hermione snatched it away. "There is nothing here to indicate he might be a squib."

"It would be illegal for me to break the statute of secrecy and hire a muggle to work in the wizarding world. Anyone I hire is obviously either a wizard or a squib."

"Harry, that's not the way things work." Hermione protested.

"What was that Olya?" He reminded her. "Just look for anything that would make a good employee and set aside your prejudices about wizards and muggles for a second. A squib is just a legal fiction anyway created purebloods that refuse to admit they are related to a non magical person."

Hermione and Harry went back to weeding out the everyday grunts from anyone unusual. The afternoon wore on, but they traded a few laughs at the interesting anecdotes found in some of the letters from former bosses or superiors. As she sorted through her pile, Hermione spotted a pattern. Within minutes she had eight folders sitting in front of her on the table.

"What have you got?" Harry asked.

"I've got a whole squad apparently. These men all reference each other and apparently served together. I spotted it because I kept seeing familiar names. They have diverse backgrounds until just two years ago. Three muggles and five wizards, different times in service and from different home towns. Two years ago they all claim to be working on Project Moonlight but there is nothing saying what that was."

"Let me see the letters they wrote for each other." Harry flipped through several sheets before he reached a conclusion. "Listen to this, "despite his need for certain days off each month, Oleg is one of the finest men I know" that man's letters for the others all include a similar wording. They're a whole group of werewolves Hermione. Project Moonlight was probably either a special group just for them or else an excuse to get rid of them."

"Why would you think they were a special group?"

"Well when they are not transformed, werewolves do have certain benefits. They have heightened senses, improved strength, faster reflexes, and faster healing. It just makes sense to give them their own unit if you are going to have them around."

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After a trip to Zurich to retrieve his diamonds, Harry headed eastwards. He took time to change his clothing and appearance to something suitable for the region. Though it caused him pain, Harry went ahead and used the two language crystals he had bought in Johannesburg giving him access to Arabic and Farsi. His new appearance was that of a wealthy Saudi businessman, approaching middle age. With much effort and bribery Harry had convinced The Colonel, the local fixer in the US, to pass along a list of supplies and even weapons to someone who would sell them. Though Harry thought it odd that a local fixer would send him halfway around the world, he decided it was best not to ask why The Colonel had these particular associates. And so it was that Harry found himself walking down a dusty street in Afghanistan with almost a quarter of a million dollars in cut diamonds. The goblins had assured him that the stones were of good quality and worth the price he paid.

He had read several books on mid-eastern culture and hoped he could pass himself off as he usually did. Impersonating someone from a western culture was easy, some things like etiquette and body language were universal across those cultures but he knew that such was not the case here. His observational skills had improved drastically since he faked his death. He found lying and detecting lies a little easier as he read people's body language and reactions, and it served him well in his travels. Hopefully he would be well served in this alien society.

With little effort Harry navigated his way down the streets of Kabul towards the office he sought. The secretary in the office waved him through to the inner office. The man inside rose to greet him. "Salaam brother. I am Muhmed bin Abdullah Nasir, the Minister of Defense, but you may call me simply Muhmed or Minister Nasir as you please."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Minister Nasir. I am called Abdulqadar." Harry bowed respectfully. "I believe you already know why I am here."

"Yes, my people were quite pleased to have someone willing to purchase so much of our military surplus. Bedding, uniforms, flak jackets, and other equipment for fifty people. Ten motorcycles, ten five man tents, fifty SKS rifles, fifty 9mm side arms, fifty thousand rounds of ammunition for both." The minister read down the list in front of him. "Our only concern is what you plan to do with it."

"My group is building a unit to combat terrorism in our homeland and provide safety to our people. We have no quarrel with Afghanistan or any nation under Allah's eyes." Harry assured him.

"That is good to hear. We have only just convinced the Mujahideen in the northern provinces to lay down arms and cannot afford any more unrest. You may call yourself a Servant of Destiny but we have seen enough of those around here to become wary. Now have you brought the agreed payment?"

Harry opened his case and extracted a black cloth pouch. He carefully unfolded it to reveal three hundred fifty perfect little gems. The minister punched a button on his desk and summoned two men into the office. "Ofir will show you to the depot where your pallets of equipment are waiting while we inspect the stones. If everything is satisfactory when you return, we can close the deal."

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Harry and his escort exited the office and walked a few blocks to a small airplane hanger on the edge of the base. Inside Harry found several shipping pallets of supplies. Bunk beds were reduced to pipes and bars in one pile. Another set of crates contained bolts and fittings to assemble them. The mattresses were old and looked it, hopefully a few spells could bring them back to life or else transfigure them into something usable. One pallet contained a pile of large khaki colored canvas bags. Harry took one and opened it to find a collection of tent poles, ropes, and the tent fabric. They were faded and dusty but in good condition otherwise. The armored jackets Harry took the time to inspect more thoroughly. Again they were faded and a few were patched but all appeared sound. They were all, like the uniforms and boots, sized for large men and would eventually be altered to fit with spells. Crate after crate of tools, binoculars, boots, and uniforms passed his cursory inspection before he moved to the crates containing weapons and munitions.

"Ofir, would there be a place I could test one of these nearby? They appear sound but I must check that they are functioning well." Harry picked up a random rifle from it's crate.

The silent military man nodded once and led Harry three buildings away where an alley had been closed off into a makeshift shooting range with a spray painted set of bull's-eyes on the far wall. Ofir showed him how to load the cartridges into the action and gestured for him to proceed while stepping to the side. After three shots, which had him struggling not to blush in shame, Harry felt something slimy flow into his sandal.

"Eww, hold this for a second." Harry handed Ofir the rifle and bent to wipe the bottom of his foot to get rid of the oily substance a nearby machine had just spurted.

When he straightened up and extended his left hand for the rifle, he found it leveled at his chest and a very suspicious looking Ofir behind the other end. "You are no Saud! Who are you really working for?"

00000

A/N; Much thanks to Ibrahim Kokash for his insights on the Middle East. While I do not know if what he told me extends to all of the Islamic World, since he is from Jordan and has little experience with other Arab nations, hopefully it is not too far off. Some of the things I am unsure about include what just got Harry caught. According to Ibrahim, showing the bottom of ones foot or using your left hand are very insulting and not something someone who grew up in the culture would do so casually.

I'm told that Muhmed is a common Farsi/Persian variant of Muhammad and more likely to be seen in Afghanistan than the Arabic version. Likewise "bin" rather than "ibin" when recounting his lineage. Harry's name "Abdulqadar," while not a common name, isn't too odd. Literally it means "Slave to Fate" but could also as Minister Nasir interpreted be called "Servant of Destiny."

See, this was educational as well as mildly entertaining.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer; Do not attempt to impersonate a Saudi if you are a westerner, it will not work.

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Harry looked down the length of the rifle he had been holding minutes earlier and wondered what he had done wrong now. Harry had to think fast about how he was going to get out of this predicament. He couldn't see anyone else in their general vicinity but no doubt that could change very fast if he didn't do exactly the right thing.

While looking Ofir directly in the eye he very slowly allowed his wand to slide down his sleeve so that the tip was resting in his fingertips for quick use. With lightening reflexes, Harry tried to drop backwards and bring his wand to bear to cast a stunner. As soon as he started to move however Ofir pulled the trigger and the rifle gave a jerk.

CRACK! It felt as if a red hot iron had suddenly slammed into him below his collar bone but above his heart on his left side. Hot wet blood began to flow out of him as he fell to the ground, the curse dying on his lips. He looked up at the furious man and brought his wand up again.

CRACK! Harry saw the tensing arm muscles just seconds before the trigger was pulled and threw himself to the side narrowly avoiding being shot again.

CRACK! Another bullet grazed his shoulder as he forced himself into a crouch.

CRACK! The last shot was close enough that Harry's hair was singed in the muzzle flash as he sprang forward and toppled Ofir to the ground and knocked the rifle aside. Ofir grabbed his shoulders and rolled to bring himself back on top. They ended up just barely inside the alley that was used as a shooting range with Ofir on top and Harry's wand pointed at his chest. Harry could think of only one spell to get himself out of this one without getting shot again, "Obliviate!"

The man's eyes went unfocused for an instant as Harry erased the last few minutes from his mind. Harry acted quickly to take advantage of his confusion. "Ofir, you saved my life! That sniper almost got me with that second shot!" Harry gestured to the graze on his shoulder, while pressing some of the fabric from his shirt into his more serious wound.

"SNIPER ON THE WEST SIDE!" Ofir yelled "I need a Medic over here NOW!"

Ofir darted out into the gap to grab the rifle from the ground, continuing his scramble across the street. They could hear the stomp of booted feet in the distance as other soldiers rushed to his call. Harry saw Ofir pull a bright red cartridge from his belt and a lumpy object from a pouch. He loaded the cartridge and put the oblong object on the end of the rifle. With a louder bang than usual he shot the grenade at a building at the end of the road, just off the base. Within moments several other grenades and a barrage of automatic weapons peppered the rooftop and troops were on the way to investigate.

While everyone else was distracted, Harry whipped his wand, silently summoning the shell casings that would call him a liar. He then put the tip of his wand over his wound and summoned the bullet itself before casting a cauterizing spell to minimize his blood loss. The blood slowed to a leak instead of a river by the time a soldier bearing a white arm band with a red cross showed up. Harry shoved the bullet and shells into his back pocket along with his wand. The medic ripped his shirt open and wiped the wound clean before pressing clean gauze over it and taping it into position. Harry felt a slight pinprick and a chilling sensation in his arm before everything faded to black.

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Harry returned to consciousness to look up at a slightly dingy ceiling and the smell of powerful antiseptics. "I'm in a hospital again aren't I?" He asked the attendant he just knew had to be standing by.

"Yes sir," a boy barely out of his teens answered. "Captain Hassam has not caught the man who shot you yet, but our men are sweeping the city for anyone who does not belong."

Harry waved him off. "How long have I been out?"

"Four hours." The boy told him. "The doctors said you are very lucky, the bullet just missed your heart and aorta, you must have nerves of steel to dig the bullet out yourself."

"This is hardly the first time someone has tried to kill me. Would you please help me find a shirt so that I may finish my business with Minister Nasir?"

"Sir, you were shot four hours ago. I do not believe the Minister will be upset to postpone your meeting."

"My people will be very upset if I do not pass them word soon." Harry lied. "I would like to finish my business so that we may depart. I can rest in a hospital bed just as safely once I am done."

"Perhaps more so. The government tells the people everything is safe and that we have laid down arms, but that is not entirely true as you have seen." The boy shifted nervously.

Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. "Now how about that shirt so I can get out of your way?

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Within hours, Harry's trip to Afghanistan was finished. The doctors insisted on giving him more morphine before allowing him to leave. Minister Nasir and Captain Hassam were very apologetic that their security was so lax as to allow him to be shot. Harry just smiled and said it was probably his own fault before pressing two one ounce gold bars into Ofir's hand as baksheesh. The morphine was good at its job.

The Army loaded his gear into two trucks and Harry to an isolated ravine he pointed out on a map. He assured the men that his people would be by for him by morning before waving them off. They gave him another syringe of morphine for him to take and see him through the night. Harry then shrank and loaded everything before setting off for Grimmauld Place to store it in the basement. He briefly wondered whether he should wait for medical help until he got back to the States or if he should just head to St. Mungo's, he took a look at his bandages and saw that his wounds were still leaking but that was likely his own fault for moving so much. Given the slow nature of his blood loss and the fact that the morphine was still going strong, he decided to wait until he was somewhere his friends could scold him more easily.

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He wasn't wrong when he thought that his friends were going to scold him. Within an hour of his slurred phone message to Hermione "Hey, I'm in the South East Wizards Hospital, I got shot. I'll talk to you later, bye." He had four angry people looking down at him as he sat in his bed.

"Hey Hermione, you brought your parents." Harry said hazily as he smiled at the group.

"Harry James Potter, how could you just leave that kind of message on my phone as if it didn't matter?" She asked him, sounding quite annoyed with him.

"Because it isn't so bad. I don't even hurt, they gave me that stuff to make criminals. I could have told them I already was one but I don't think they would have listened."

"Stuff that makes criminals? What are you talking about." She asked.

"More fiends… They put some in me when I was shot, and again four hours later, and again just before I came here. You're cute when you are worried." Harry smiled at her.

"Harry, this is important, do you remember how much morphine they gave you?" Dan Granger asked.

"Accio! It was up to the two." Harry handed them the bottle and needle he had been given. "We'll have matching scars now." Harry opened his shirt and showed Hermione where he was shot.

"Oh good, he's just out of it and not in danger." Mr. Granger told the others.

"Mate, where'd you get the funny shirt from? It looks all official." Ron joined the conversation.

"It's from the army in Afghanistan, I think they made me a captain." Harry looked down at his shoulder trying to decipher the rank markings. "They ripped up my other one after they found out I was a fake and shot me. I gave them a memory charm and they thought someone else shot me instead."

"What were you doing there?" Hermione asked him.

"Not going to tell you. You'd yell at me for breaking the law again."

"You do realize that now she's going to fuss at you anyway right?" Ron made sure he wasn't between the two.

"What did you do?" Hermione's eyes narrowed as she stared him into submission.

"I just bought some clothes..."

"And?"

"And some tents…"

"And?"

"And a couple motorcycles…"

"It's like pulling teeth trying to get him to answer isn't it?" Emma looked at Dan.

"True, but she's doing alright on her own." He replied.

"And?" Hermione kept at it. She could fuss about motorcycles being irresponsible later, she still hadn't found out why somebody tried to kill him.

"Andafewguns…" he said softly and all at once.

"Guns? How many guns?"

"Only a hundred." He said meekly.

"Oh look, there goes my hearing again. Dear, what do you say we go grab some coffee?" Dan looked as if he wanted to escape the coming storm.

"That's it, you are never going out on business alone again!"

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It was a cold December day when Harry entered the stone chamber deep in the heart of a Swiss mountain. Like in every other arena, Switzerland was neutral ground to Fixers and their men. Hand offs could be made, meetings held, and grudges set aside within the bounds of the country and especially within the stone conference room where Harry now stood.

The room was carved from the heart of the mountain by means unknown to any except possibly the Don. With no access to the outside world except specially made portkeys, the room was an impossible feat of magic. A small antechamber held the port key point and a collection of hooks to hang cloaks or robes on. The granite walls soared to nearly one hundred meters with columns and vaulted ceilings. The chairs around the table were stone as well but covered in plush cushions. There was one brand new chair with green velvet cushions that Harry assumed was to be his own. The table was rimmed with rich looking mahogany while the interior was a map of the world inlaid with various woods. A ribbon with ebony letters bore the title "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi." or "Fortune, Empress of the World." The whole space was lit with torches set in fearsome gargoyle sconces that burned with a bright blue flame but did not tint the light. Clearly no one had discussed stereotypes or clichés with Don Giovanni, their host for the evening.

The other Fixers arrived and mingled for a bit before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Harry met with Ali Bashir of Turkey who wanted was hopeful about his chances of getting the laws in Britain changed soon so he could import his flying carpets to a growing market. Harry remembered hearing his name come up from Barty Crouch once and was quite willing to talk with the man about establishing a partnership in that area. In fact it seemed quite a few people wanted to talk with him about expanding their legitimate businesses into Britain, which had somehow been marked as his territory. They would gain legitimacy in Britain, and he would gain a very small portion of the revenues for operating on his turf just as he was expected to pay tithes to the Colonel. He was honest with them about his reservations concerning the backward legal system, but hopefully they could ride the inevitable wave of change after the fall of Voldemort. If they banded together and put some money in the right pockets, the Wizengamot might be convinced to change a few laws. Harry casually mentioned that he had two Houses in his pocket they could depend on for support already and inroads to a few more. The Potter and Black votes were his, the Longbottom vote belonged to Neville but it shouldn't be too hard to convince him on any critical issues, he could partially influence the Weasley vote he suspected, and there were always politicians who could be lobbied to vote for special interest groups. Hopefully the fall of Voldemort would also see the fall of some of the Death Eater voting bloc and reduce their competition.

Don Giovanni took his place at the head of the table and everyone else interpreted this as a signal to take their own.

"Good evening Gentlemen, welcome to the three hundred fifty eighth winter conclave for the Old Firm We have lost two members since last years meeting, and we have gained one new. Yoshia Markarov will be taking over management of the United Kingdom and Ireland as soon as he can assemble his men. Jakob Goldstein has passed away leaving Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt without a head. Steven Thompson retired in June leaving the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada without leadership. Is there any new business?"

"Yes," Yuri Petrovich stood, "as most of you know, my home was robbed of some very precious possessions recently. All evidence my guards have been able to gather points to an Englishman being responsible. With Markarov stepping up to control Britain we have managed to gather a short list of suspects who are to be cut off from all business dealings until further notice." He passed around a list that with the exception of Mundungus Fletcher were all confirmed Death Eaters.

"Malfoy? This man is one of my better customers, I cannot just refuse him business!" An angry German voice shouted.

"If you are referring to Lucius Malfoy, then you have already lost his business. I personally killed him two months ago, though his son or wife may still have been involved and needs to be contained." Harry told him. "Lucius was a Death Eater following the Dark Lord Voldemort. They are very bad for business and regrettably I will have to kill them all to secure my territory. They care nothing for commerce or making a profit, only torture and murder which is very bad for business."

"Indeed," Don Giovanni's voice silenced the whispers and debate, "some of the Dark Lord's henchmen have been trying to recruit the younger vampires to their cause. This troubles me. The vampire community, more than the rest of the wizarding world, has always walked a very fine line to avoid discovery or mass killings. Voldemort's promises of unlimited feeding and the ability to turn whoever they want is tempting to the young vampires who lack real influence or power, but ultimately poses a risk to the entire community. We can handle not dealing with the Death Eaters until Yoshia establishes his dominance in the area. Anyone who deals with these men regularly will receive a reduction in their expected contributions to our slush funds. A bounty of fifty thousand galleons is offered from the fund to anyone who can recover Yuri's property, seventy five thousand if you can make an example of the thief adequately."

"I will open my territory to any hoping to collect on this bounty given sufficient evidence." Harry told everyone and got a nod from the Don indicating he was just about to request it.

"Good, we must remain united against anyone who would dare steal from us. Moving on, Armando what do you have to report about the Columbians you mentioned at the summer conclave?" The Don asked.

"In all their dealings with me they have been extremely dishonest and have tried to cheat me twice. If they were not under the protection of the Cartels I would have gone shark fishing by now. I only haven't because I did not want to drag us into a war with the Columbians over control of the Caribbean and Central America. They had a lot of potential but they allied with the wrong people and wasted their chance."

"Next time they try to cheat you, don't hold back. We can afford a show of force and my some of my clansmen have complained about a lack of variety in their diet. They had two chances already; the third mistake is their last. I had hoped for some organization in South America soon but we will wait for quality men who we can work with. Does anyone have any promising leads in China or India?" He waited for anyone to make a suggestion. "That's almost two and a half billion people we don't represent! We need some allied with us in charge in those countries before we wind up with someone who will fight us. If you include Indonesia, that's nearly half of the world population. We may have all the old money tightened down, but those three countries are going to be where the money is in fifty years and we can all profit from it if we get our foot in the door. Yamamoto, Bashir, Murray, get moving west, east, and north if we can't find anyone by next summer."

The Japanese, Turkish, and Australian business men nodded and made a few notes to start scouting talented young protégés.

"Who wants to start with their reports on developing opportunities within your spheres of influence?" Don Giovanni asked, turning the meeting more towards a cooperative business meeting than a Mafioso gathering. Each took their turns discussing which businesses or laws were changing in their areas and how they could best be exploited. Harry made a few notes in his journal about items which were rare or uncommon in Britain that he could offer to other merchants at a slight premium. Trade embargos and export tariffs were mentioned as well as any new exemptions that opened or closed around the world. They may all engage in some under the table behavior, and ruthless tactics to prevent competition, but ultimately profit was the word of the day. Everyone knew their area and exploited it before opening it to the others so they could grab their share before it dried up.

00000

Christmas at Exile Island was one of Harry's best. Harry, Ron, and the Grangers gathered to share gifts and Christmas dinner. Hermione got a few books on different wizarding cultures from Harry while Ron got a single person flying carpet (Bashir offered a sample to cement their partnership and Harry was happy to pass it on). Harry was surprised to see what Hermione and her parents had gotten him. The mushroomed bullet he had pulled out of his chest was set as a pendant on a gold chain, the shell casing was split down the middle and hung on either side. The shell casing had been polished to a high gloss and inscribed to read "Harry Potter" on one side and "Simon Black" on the other. When he opened it and saw the inscriptions Hermione joked that at least now he knew where the bullet with his name on it was. Harry retorted that he was more concerned about all of those addressed to "Occupant" or "To Whom It May Concern."

After Christmas dinner, Harry and Ron headed off to England to visit with the Weasleys and Lovegoods. Harry appearing as Simon was given a very cold reception at the Burrow with the exception of Ginny who welcomed him with a hug. He dropped off a few gifts from himself and Harry and took his leave before Mrs. Weasley glared him to death. The Lovegoods were much happier to see him and invited him in for a light supper of leftovers. Before he was shot, Harry had found an interesting gift for Luna in Afghanistan. He bought her a pendant of an eagle carved from Lapis Lazuli that had thin veins of fool's gold running through it. The pendant was a little different from the Ravenclaw House symbol but the royal blue and bronze color was a perfect match. From Luna, Harry received a book called "The Crypto-Zoologist's Encyclopedia; Legendary Beasts Around the Globe" and a subscription to the Quibbler.

Luna and Harry spent a bit of time together enjoying the snow he wasn't getting in Georgia, and generally relaxing and soaking up each other's presence. After the fun in the snow, the couple cuddled together on the couch and enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. The mini vacation was exactly what Harry needed, a break from endless hours of getting shot at and studying curses and strategy before he got to the hard work.

With a few reservations, Harry hired the same solicitor that the Malfoy family used to help him find loopholes and deal with the paperwork of bringing his business where it was needed. The business permits were relatively simple, as was the tax paperwork, but Harry knew that the true test of his worth as a barrister was just around the bend. With the New Year would come new challenges and some old enemies…


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer; The usual disclaimer found on every other chapter of every other fic applies here as well. Also, please also give AnnF's story "Grief, Deceptions, and Hope for Freedom" a look. She used the "parchment to box" trick first (by more than a year), and eerily similar to how I introduced it. It wasn't my intent to rip her off (I was actually trying to rip off "Harry Potter and the Angel of Justice" where a room is hidden transfigured into a painting...) but a casual glimpse certainly makes it look that way. We took it in entirely different directions but I want to give her the respect she's due. A link can be found in my profile or Favorites list.

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Just after New Years, Harry's solicitor in England let him know that everything was prepared. The Russian guards had already been snuck into the country over the past few weeks and had converted Twelve Grimmauld Place into a barracks for themselves and one of the Potter homes became housing for the curse breakers and warders. Harry privately ignored Hermione's idealistic fantasies and bought a house elf named Dips to keep the place clean and cook food for everyone.

Unfortunately they had to at least pretend to follow the laws, so the Guards and Warders needed to officially enter the country. The solicitor was very helpful arranging work visas for the warding specialists, since it was a needed skill at the moment there were very few problems emigrating from a Commonwealth nation. The Russians would have been much trickier, had they not found a convenient loophole they could drive a tank through.

So it came to pass that Harry under the guise of Mr. Markarov (a senior partner beside Black, on paper at least) was waiting at the international portkey desk for his men to arrive. Precisely at eleven thirty five, twenty seven men landed in crisp uniforms on the arrival pad. They saluted Harry and he gave them some quick orders in Russian to move off the pad and let him deal with the gawking bureaucrat. The ministry official was gathering forms and paperwork for the mob when Harry moved to catch his attention.

"I'll be taking care of them, just stamp this one form for me if you would." Harry held out the parchment that his solicitor had prepared.

"Who are you? Each of these men must fill out a visitor's visa and get the appropriate forms from the department of magical law enforcement if they are going to be entering our country." The shorter man replied.

"If you'll just read my form I am sure that you will find everything is in order."

The worker took the form and read it through quickly. "This is a notification for the importation of personal possessions. You can't use this, and certainly not to bring thirty something dangerous looking men into the country."

"Actually I think you'll find I can. According to the Pureblood Laws of 1357 passed by the International Confederation of Wizards, house elves, slaves, and domestic servants are classified as possessions. Guards are listed as domestic servants in that same document. My partner, Mr. Black, is a member of the pureblood community, and wishes his new business to be well guarded." Harry explained, trying hard to fight back a grin.

The man read through his form again, saw that it was filled out for "possessions (other), 27 units." He counted the men, consulted his desk reference for some help, and ultimately decided it was all useless. "For now they will be remanded into your custody and allowed entrance but placed under quarantine. This will be flagged for someone in the DMLE to review within the week. If at that time they have committed any crimes or if this entrance is deemed illegal, you will be held accountable personally. Do you have any questions?"

"No, I have no problems with that. When can I expect to see someone from the Ministry?"

"Within the week, although I would not expect them to be by before Monday. Paperwork doesn't seem to travel to where it needs to be on a Friday afternoon. You'll also need to fill out these additional forms acknowledging the quarantine and requesting an investigation." Several more forms were summoned with a wave of the official's wand, and tapped to fill in certain fields.

"Not a problem at all Sir." Harry obediently filled in the forms listing the office as his home address (since the barracks were under the Fidelius), and handed everything back with a smile. The legal end out of the way, Harry handed the group a piece of rope for a portkey home.

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Over the weekend and the next several days, the men were sent all over Britain by portkey, apparition, and on one of the Ural M71 motorcycles so they would get a sense of were everything was. The motor cycles were available mostly for the men to use in their time off but they were kept in perfect condition just in case they were needed elsewhere. One of the soldiers was a motorcycle fanatic and spent most of his time tinkering with "his" bike which he christened "Natasha." A wizard who loved muggle machinery was rather odd, but everyone had to have their hobbies. At least Nikola knew what he was messing with unlike Arthur Weasley.

Harry was spending three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) in London and the rest in Savannah through a multi-use long range portkey, unless he had an appointment or there was an emergency. The rest of the time one of the warders doubled as a secretary to make appointments. It was a bit of a commute since he spent most of his magic over the weekend recharging the portkey, but it kept things running smoothly.

00000

It was Wednesday before Harry saw anyone from the DMLE, but he was a touch surprised when Madam Bones arrived in the company of Kingsley Shacklebolt to talk with him.

"Good afternoon Sir, Madam, and welcome to Rabid Mongoose Home Security. My name is Yoshia Markarov, what can I help you with today?" Harry extended his hand to them and turned on the charm.

"I am Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, and this is Auror Shacklebolt. We are here to discuss a number of things with you concerning not only your quarantine situation but also some questions we have concerning your business practices."

"Well I will be more than happy to answer anything you care to ask. Can I get you anything to drink while we talk? Tea? Coffee?" Harry ushered them into his office. It was pretty Spartan with only a filing cabinet for their permits, contracts, and licenses, and his rather plain desk. He summoned Dips to bring the offered refreshments.

The guest took their tea before Madam Bones returned to business. "Thank you; now let us return to the task at hand. We have reviewed your quarantine status and there is one irregularity that we have found concerning the statute you used. As we understand it, those men are available for hire from your business. Unfortunately this means that importing them as Simon Black's possessions is a fraudulent claim, unless you can show proof that this is not the case."

"Not a problem, I expected this, and more importantly our Solicitor Mr. Haskel did as well. We at Rabid Mongoose do offer guards both on an on-call and permanent basis, however we cannot make any claims as to which specific guards are on call at any given time since they do not actually work for us. The guards themselves are contracted to Mr. Black as domestic servants, and Black is employed by this agency to provide a variety of services, guards among them." Harry opened a file to show his contract with the company, and pulled a few of his guards contracts to him for comparison.

"You had Dennis Haskel of the Locke, Stock, Hook, and Cook law firm prepare these?" Amelia read through them carefully. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Haskel is a decent barrister, I must admit. The wording in these almost looks like it was meant specifically to exploit this loophole."

"I am afraid I cannot comment on the dealings between Messrs. Haskel and Black. I do not know and do not wish to. What was the next item you wished to discuss?"

"Very well, moving on we have also noticed a few things in your newspaper and wireless adverts that have us concerned. Specifically we would like to know how you can claim to offer emergency portkeys in case of an attack. The manufacture of portkeys in Britain is restricted to certain ministry personnel only, and violations of this law are punishable by a fine and eventually a prison term for repeated abuse."

"Madam Bones, we are a multi-national company. While you are correct that the manufacture of portkeys is illegal here, there are no laws against possessing a port key are there?"

"No, there are not. What are your plans?"

"It's a very simple matter actually. On this end we will take orders and record destinations, numbers, and activation types. Once we have this prepared, one of our employees overseas who is licensed to manufacture portkeys will enchant the items and send them back here for distribution. It is only through our multiple home offices in the United States, South Africa, and Russia that we are able to coordinate the unique set of skills and services we aim to provide our customers."

"Let's talk about these diverse services you offer for a moment." Madam Bones suggested. "Alongside the warding, emergency planning, portkeys, and security services you advertise to your customers, you also claim to be professional "finders". Can you explain that to me please?"

"Certainly Madam. As I am sure you agree, the laws of this great nation are here to protect the people. However in some cases these laws have made some things next to impossible for the common man to use or acquire legally, even if they have a legitimate use. For instance, a Threshold Rune Stone is listed as a Class B restricted item. While there are many dangerous uses for this rare and potentially useful item, it works best in the way it was originally designed. That is to say, it is best at preventing anyone from entering your home without a verbal invitation and can even stun or bind those who try. In this country there are many laws that would hamper your ability to protect your family in this way. Our company can not only help you find one, but also guide you through the tricky process of acquiring it without enjoying the hospitality of Azkaban. We can't just buy and sell such restricted goods, but for a fee we can find them and help others through the bells and whistles. We want people to be as safe as possible and will scour the world to provide only the best products to help them within the law."

00000

In the next month and a half business was booming. Nearly every pureblood family who were light or neutral oriented at least inquired about their rates and services. They sold hundreds of personal emergency portkeys and quite a few designed for families. The family models were especially popular among the muggleborn and families with young children, where not all family members could activate a portkey in an emergency.

The Leaky Cauldron and Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes both purchased a complete warding contract, and the Cauldron also signed up for on call guards in case of emergencies. Since Tom and the Weasley Twins lived in flats above their businesses, Harry incorporated Blood Wards similar to those on Privet Drive to help protect the businesses.

Less than a week after the warding was done, Death Eaters stormed Diagon Alley. A good number of the innocent bystanders grabbed charm bracelets, pendants, or rings before being whisked to safety. The Alley was almost deserted in an instant; while the Weasleys and Tom threw open their doors for people to run to. Tom hit his panic button while the Death Eaters (who very definitely wished harm upon Tom and his guests) battled in vain with the Blood Wards.

Within a minute of the attack starting Harry's men were portkeyed into the Leaky Cauldron where the counter attack began. The windows were knocked out (supposedly to protect the patrons from flying glass) and the guards returned fire on the masked wizards standing in the open. Some of the wizards let fly with battle magic, while others joined the two "squibs" firing their rifles. "Crazy" Ivan (the Special Forces retiree of questionable sanity) boasted later that every one of his bullets hit a Death Eater and those that escaped would surely die of their wounds in time. How true this was remained open to debate but no one wanted to push the issue.

By the time the Aurors arrived, Harry's men had killed of captured thirteen Death Eaters while the others escaped. The civilian casualties were surprisingly low, only five injured and none dead against the thirty or so invaders. The value of Harry's company was instantly proven to the public and sales of portkeys and personal security gear like distractions and instant smoke screens immediately tripled. It reached a point where Harry had to contact other portkey makers in the States to handle the orders, since it was too much for him and Hermione was busy in her new school.

To help with his public image, and to give the men something to do, Harry began setting the guards on a rotating schedule so they would all be a visible symbol of safety in the streets of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. The guards also did weekly trips and to any of the businesses or residences that had warding jobs either scheduled or completed, even those that did not sign a guard contract. The men had something to do, the people felt good about where their money was going, and the company slowly began taking in more money than it spent.

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"Mr. Black, I want to thank you for taking the time to come out here personally." Neil Abbot said as he shook Harry's hand.

"Oh it's no trouble at all, this is after all what I do. Why don't you and I talk about some of the options my company can offer while my employees do the initial survey?" Harry gestured to the two men and one woman who had accompanied him. The woman was a very gifted graduate of the Mozambique School of the Arcane, while the two men were former soldiers.

"That would be just fine. I must admit that I have wondered why Madam Bones recommended your group so strongly." The head of the Abbot family said.

"Madam Bones initially was very upset by some of our services, specifically offering emergency portkeys but after a short discussion with our solicitor she had to admit we could do more good than harm. Since then three attacks were either foiled completely or delayed because of our efforts and she began to take a shine to us." Harry said as they moved to a patio table.

"Given that making portkeys is expressly forbidden except by specific ministry personnel I can see why she might have been a touch hostile." The older man conceded.

"There is one slight loophole that our company is able to exploit that she has yet to close. While it is illegal to create portkeys it is not illegal to own an unregistered one. Our company here takes notes one the types, numbers, and destinations needed before sending these orders overseas to be filled. One of our employees in another country who is duly licensed produces the item and we deliver the product. Since no crime is committed on British soil the Ministry is willing to overlook the questionable legality." Harry explained.

"That is an interesting solution to the problem. Now would you please explain to me more about how you believe you can help me here?"

"Well Mr. Abbot there are many issues to discuss but for your peace of mind I believe the first one I should address is your privacy. Naturally having someone like myself examine your current security is in itself a security risk. For your safety and privacy all services, including this evaluation, which we offer are bound by a magical contract so that we are completely unable to reveal this information to anyone. Initially we considered obliviation as a security measure to protect our clients, but repeated memory charms can have dangerous effects on our employees and lost memories can be recovered by someone sufficiently trained in the mental arts."

"Thank you, I appreciate your efforts to keep this confidential."

"Moving on, currently my people are surveying your property and the wards around your house to provide a more accurate risk assessment. From what we have gathered, the Abbot family has a long and distinguished reputation of being politically neutral but still mostly a Light family. Unless there is a specific reason, it is unlikely you will ever see a direct attack from say Voldemort himself. Now these are troubled times so we cannot rule out a raid from lesser Death Eaters looking for some twisted fun, but you have not stood out to make yourself a target."

"I publicly denounced his goals during his first rise at a gathering of Pureblood families, but I doubt that a spirited speech twenty years ago will cause real problems now. The worst we do is being a tad selective in who we do business with. Money is money but sometimes one must have standards."

"Your family owns a series of greenhouses do they not? You are a major supplier of potions ingredients to apothecaries in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade if I recall. While it is unlikely, if the war were to drag on you might see some pressure from both sides for control of rare ingredients. I'm not saying it will, but that is a possibility we consider."

"I see. What are you suggesting?"

"At the very least I encourage you to take a more active role in the safety of your family even if it is not with us. I've met your granddaughter and she has great potential. If the worst should happen you will want to have an emergency escape plan prepared in advance. Where will you go? How will you get there? Will you have time to make good on the escape if the enemy is at your front door? These are all questions we can help you answer. Obviously apparition and portkeys are options but jinxes to prevent both temporarily can be preformed with little warning. We can help you get earlier warning of trouble and provide active defenses to slow their attack if one occurs. Finally for those who are truly committed to their family's safety we offer a variety of options involving the Fidelius Charm."

"I think it's a little extreme for the whole family to vanish from the face of the earth over a little trouble. As you have said we've done nothing to make ourselves priority targets."

"You misunderstand me Sir. Obviously a well respected family like yours cannot just go into hiding without reason. The most flexible option for both safety and ease of use would be to perform the charm and several others on a single room of your home to make it totally self sufficient from the outside world. We call it a safe room. If you are attacked simply gather your family in that room and wait for them to leave. It is a very strong defense without requiring much more than the loss of one of your unused rooms. If you choose to employ guards from us, there will be an alarm inside to summon us to your aid. A guard contract for emergency services is of course more flexible and much cheaper than a round the clock guard presence."

"That is very appealing to me, I must admit."

Just then the others returned from their survey and laid a sketch of the grounds and a color coded map of all the exterior wards on the table. The guards had made note of points of strategic interest while the witch had notes on the strength and order of the wards. Harry examined the map for a few minutes before looking to Abbot.

"Mr. Abbot, there are several immediate improvements I believe we can help you make with regards to your wards. May I ask why your detection and identification wards only cover the house itself and a small area beyond it, while your intruder deterrent wards extend much farther?" Harry indicated the colored parts of the map.

"That's just the way our family has always done it I suppose. We do have a lot of local children and their friends who often play on our grounds during the summer. The wards only extend a certain distance to provide some privacy while we leave the rest open for the community to use."

"That is an admirable sentiment but allow me to make a few suggestions. Your detection and identification wards really should cover farther out than your intruder wards if for no other reason than to know who had the audacity to attack you. If you were awoken in the middle of the night to someone trying to bypass your defenses, currently you would only know that the attempt was being made but be unaware of how many people were involved or who they were." Harry enumerated.

"If the wards were always active as you suggest, it would be maddening at times to know where everyone was and who they were constantly. This is especially true in the summer months as I previously mentioned."

"If you wish, we can enchant a map of your grounds to tie into those wards so they would not be a constant bother. It would show labeled markers for any person on the grounds even if they were polyjuiced or in an animagus form. Perhaps place it on the wall of a safe room so that you have a way to know the coast is clear."

"You can do that? Abbot asked with a surprised voice.

"Certainly, I've even heard rumors that Harry Potter somehow acquired a similar map of Hogwarts that allowed him to get into so much trouble."

"Simply remarkable." The older man said in awe. Harry smiled inwardly, another sale made for sure, and another DA member protected. All that remained was to see how much of their help he would purchase…

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A/N; Things finally begin to come together. Harry's dabbling in the underworld comes to fruition as a personal militia, and the people pay him to tell him where the attacks he wants to stop anyway are happening. We'll still see some of the other characters like Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna from time to time, but they will not be involved in the story much from here out. We've got two major plot points coming up soon (plus a few things for the long view beyond this immediate conflict), and I've got the rest of the story outlined so I know where everything goes. There will be a sequal, simply because I want to make them fight for it and I like the "seven years of school/seven stories" parallel.

We might not see this update again for another two weeks or so, I've committed myself to updating Warlord Prince and At the Hands of The Other before I update this again. I mustn't leave the fans of the other two stories hanging, it just wouldnt be fair.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer; All trademarked characters belong to their owners.

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It was a positively dreary day when Harry received an invitation to the Malfoy Family's estate in Wiltshire. He read through the request for an evaluation three times before he figured out all the hidden threats and subtle attempts at influence mongering. He was sorely tempted to dismiss it out of hand. The Malfoy family was so deep in Voldemort's circle that it was likely the Head Snake was probably in residence some of the time. The overcast sky and slow drizzle of moisture was a good match to his own feelings on the idea.

Eventually Harry decided that the opportunity to gather intelligence on the enemy outweighed the distaste he felt about spending time with the odious family. He could call it a necessary evil or a dirty job that needed to be done, but he knew one thing for certain. His company would never actually improve the defenses around the Malfoy home. Deciding that he would in fact take the job, Harry called Solicitor Haskell and asked for some specific edits in the standard "Ward Examination and Safety Evaluation" contract that they sent to their clients. He wanted everything air tight against them and to leave himself a few carefully hidden clauses incase he ever needed them. His next decision was to enchant a fake wand and call Crazy Ivan in for a consult.

To all appearances, obliviation was to be a part of the contract, but would then be removed under the "discretionary modification" clauses he was sneaking in. The Malfoys would naturally want all knowledge of their security package erased from his men's minds, but Harry didn't for obvious reasons. Harry's plan was to have Ivan (who had no magical ability) wave the fake wand, and say the incantation. From there, his voice activated enchantment would shoot a grey beam of light, and activate a slight confundus charm that would be placed on some part of the uniforms. For all appearances, he and his men would be obliviated, but the effects would soon wear off.

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While Harry was trying to decide how to get the wand to work exactly how he wanted, Ivan joined him in the office and brought a thick file packed with both paper and parchment. From the looks of things, the men (for that file had to be a collaborative effort) had something that they needed to discuss with him.

Harry motioned for him to take a seat. They spent several minutes discussing the job and the Malfoy family's position in things. Harry explained his plans to the paranoid ex-soldier and listened as he made some adjustments. Ivan Vasilyev was getting a solid grasp on magic and its limitations, and consequently some of his suggestions were absolutely inspired. His specialization in reconnaissance was paying dividends as they discussed how to get every drop of potential information in the least amount of time. Ivan had a few tricks up his sleeve that Harry was unaware of, but that would really come in handy. He volunteered to scope out the Dark Arts store house located under the drawing room floor, reasoning that it was a job for a professional rather than the rank and file. All in all, it looked like the visit to the Malfoy home would be worth far more than the fee they would charge.

When the meeting was over, Ivan hung back and indicated that he wanted to talk about the folder he had brought with him.

"Um… Boss, a few of the boys and I have been thinking. You know those contingency plans you've got stored up because you expect that school to be attacked?"

"Do you mean the ones on Hogwarts and its defenses? The ones I keep behind three different locks in a room I've forbidden you to open?" Harry gave his employee a look that meant he had better explain himself quickly.

"Yeah, you really need to work on that security. It's alright for everyday stuff but if there were someone really shifty about they might find out all your secrets." Ivan began to resemble Luna slightly with the airy way he ignored the threat.

"Get to the point."

"Right, anyway like I said, some of the guys and I have been thinking about how we could handle that fight. Thirty men and a few half trained civilians, not to mention the idiot school children who will insist on getting involved, against fifty attackers with no compunction against killing and the most powerful Dark Lord in half a millennia may not be impossible odds, but they aren't great either. We want to skew them in our favor a bit before the time comes." He opened the folder and drew out some plans. "Your plans indicated that you somehow expect to know a few hours in advance. When the time comes, we plan to follow a more recent strategy than standing around waiting to be hit. We will mine the approach to hell and back before digging into our positions. We force them to come to us, and then unleash our second line, and eventually join the fight once the odds have improved a bit. We refuse to fight fair if they won't."

Harry looked through the papers in front of him. There was a map of the area around Hogwarts, much like the one in his planning room. Approaches were laid out and several color coded zones highlighted for his attention. Spells to emulate mines were not exactly legal, in fact he was pretty certain that they were only a few steps below the unforgivables on the Ministry's "don't do this" list. He would have to have Haskell investigate the treaties and conditions more thoroughly to see if there were any circumstances in which they were allowed. Reading further along he finally saw what his troops were already labeling "the second line" as if it were guaranteed. It was mentioned in every contingency plan they had drawn up, and used in an astounding variety of ways considering the subject.

"First of all, I'm already concerned about the legality of your first line. I know the second is illegal, not to mention impossible. No one has ever done it, and I know two of the best in the field."

"Not entirely illegal, nor impossible. The goblins do it all the time. We checked the laws and we think we have a way we can do it as legally as we do anything else around here. The base is illegal to buy, illegal to sell, illegal to transport, and illegal to kill them to take it, but it isn't illegal to own one. Once we've got the base, Sergey says we can use these potions to do the hard part." Ivan handed him a short list of aging potions, mind control potions, berserker potions and calming potions. "He trained attack dogs for the Red Army, so it should be pretty similar. You have the same people work with them from the moment they are born to the moment they are needed. You train them to fly into a killing rage at a moment's notice, but also to calm down at a moment's notice. With the aging potions we can force years of training into months. The mind and body will mature knowing only what we allow them and following our commands without a free thought in their head."

"Did you have a specific type picked out?" Harry asked, not daring to admit it could work. "There's also the time table to consider. They are only available in high summer and are gone before the early fall."

"We think the variety from Peru would be the most manageable, and it also has the benefit of being summer in the southern hemisphere."

"But it's a Dragon! You can't honestly think this will work." Harry argued.

"Ok, we'll put it this way. The men and I want to hire the company for a finding job. We need to distract a Peruvian Vipertooth long enough to steal her eggs without harming her or them." Crazy Ivan proved once again that his nickname was well deserved as he smirked at his boss and argued about how much he was going to be paid to do what he wanted anyway.

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The trip to the Malfoy estate was every bit as nerve wracking as anticipated. Narcissa demanded not only the magically binding contract to seal her secrets, but obliviation as well just in case. Harry bit the bullet and distracted her with tea and pleasantries in the parlor while one of his men took Draco on a tour of the outer wards. The other two and Ivan focused on getting as much out of the trip as possible. They made two sets of floor plans (one that included the secret rooms), and a brief overview of the wards. For some reason everything seemed to take much longer than usual on this trip. The soldier with Draco outside somehow managed to botch almost half the spells he cast and wanted to explain everything in detail to the blond ponce. Everyone else was grateful for his distractions and stalling because they had more time to do their work.

When everyone returned to the parlor, each of the men were very enthusiastic about the excellent nature of the wards and expressed to Harry that they wished they could keep these memories and bring the other homes up to this level. The flattery was laid on thick with only one completely false flaw discovered along the outer edges being reported as an area to work on. They made suggestions about how to repair this fictional weakness and offered to do so for a ludicrous price. Naturally they decided that such a minor flaw no one knew about was harmless and not worth the money. The set of floor plans that showed only the public rooms and basic wards was destroyed under their watchful gaze.

At the end of the meeting, Ivan did his wizard imitation and "obliviated" everyone of their knowledge. The Malfoys took the glassy stares and confusion as a sign of a successful memory charm and Narcissa even had the gall to try telling him that she paid him when he showed up. Harry flipped around his notebook revealing the only note he had taken in the entire visit "She hasn't paid you yet" and was a little more insistant. Grudgingly she paid with a bank draft for their services and both sides said goodbye secure in the knowledge that they got the better of the others.

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Immediately after returning everyone scrambled to put words on paper about what they had learned before they forgot. Harry tacked the second set of floor plans to the wall of his planning room and looked them over. Almost immediately he recognized the lowest levels. A kitchen, store room, an unused coal **_pit_**, stairs leading to a private dining room… It was all too convenient, that so many features were similar to the place he and his friends had been held hostage. He was musing on this and many other things when a noise behind him caused him to spin around with his wand drawn. Crazy Ivan was halfway out of a square cut hole in the wall and had a nice landscape portrait in his hands that had been used to cover his clandestine back door.

"I wondered how you got in without setting off my intruder alarms. If I had known there was a secret passage I would have sealed it up too." Harry gave him another look that would shrivel lesser men.

"There wasn't a secret passage when I started," Ivan commented with a grin as he put the painting back in place. "Took me two weeks to get this connected to the linen closet on the third floor. The hard part was making sure I came out exactly behind the painting. I don't have magic like the rest of you, so I have to resort to good old fashioned skill."

"So because I told you that you weren't to open this door, you made a new one and opened it instead?"

"That's about the long and short of it, but I've got something else for you." Ivan pulled out a thin strip of plastic and what looked like a pen. He pressed a button on the pen, revealing it to be a small flashlight, and projected images from the film onto the wall. "Good old fashioned microfilm. Nikolai did some magic on my camera to work in high magic areas and I thought you would want to see what Malfoy was hiding in that hole of his."

"You really creep me out sometimes, did you know that?"

They looked through the images of the hidden compartment under the floor and Harry was pleased to find a few things. According to the magic sensors Harry had given Ivan, and the designs painted on a certain section of the floor at the end of the passage, it was likely there was an unshielded portkey point below the manor that could be exploited. Most of the items hidden in the artifact cache were unidentifiable to Harry, but he noticed a few that he remembered from Borgin and Burkes. There was a small collection of books that were apparently too dark for the main library, which caused Harry to wonder what could be so bad that it was too dark for the Malfoys.

"Alright Boss, now that we've checked the security, when is the smash and grab?"

"What?" Harry was jolted out of his musings. "Who said we were going to steal something?"

"Well we all just assumed… Why else would we be checking them out for weakness and not fixing it if we didn't want to break in later?" The soldier explained.

"It's not that. Think of it like a visit to an unfriendly embassy. Somebody else might need the information later but right now… Stop the slides! Can you make this one bigger?" Harry was very interested in the picture of the books that had cycled by again. Ivan backed up slightly so the film was further from the wall he was projecting onto. Harry moved closer to the wall examining the picture in detail. Down near the bottom of the pile he could see a name on a book spine, "Cygnus" and some of what might be a gouged cover. "Never mind, it looks like you guys can do a smash and grab after all. There's a bounty out for this book, and an even bigger bounty if we make an example of the thieves."

"I'll go assemble a black ops squad and get the moonlight boys. Nikolai, Sergey, and Leroy are leaving for Quito tonight. They're going to pull a Potter and see if they can steal the eggs. You're going to need to hire some more troops at this rate." Harry could see the wheels turning behind Ivan's eyes and knew he made a good choice hiring him.

"Pull a Potter?" Harry asked.

"It's a plan Leroy cooked up. Apparently a couple years ago this British kid out flew one of the biggest dragons around and stole a golden egg. I'd never heard of it, but they're pretty big into sports in the states so Leroy showed me some of the clippings. Leroy is going to fly out and bait the dragon a bit. Then once it's distracted, Nikolai and Sergey are going to ride out in that infernal machine of his and steal a pair of eggs before they escape."

"Ok, go assemble some troops for a raid. You can use the front door this time."

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Gathered in the parlor of Grimmauld place waiting for their employer were eight werewolves, six wizards and a mad ex-spy. Everyone was cleaning their weapons and speculating about what kind of mission they were about to attempt. Wands took on a high polish and guns were check and double checked. There were even a few knives glittering among the werewolves. Finally Harry joined them in the room and Ivan jumped to his feet.

"Mr. Markarov, permission to brief the troops sir?" He barked out.

"Umm… Sure. I'll fill in anything you miss." Harry was a bit surprised at the sudden militant attitude, but then again they weren't playing defense anymore. These men were soldiers again and not law abiding bodyguards acting in defense of their clients.

"Listen up boys! Tonight we'll be running a black op, for those of you who've never been on one before that means if you screw up we've never heard of you before." Ivan told them. "The primary objective is asset retrieval. The secondary objective is behavioral modification and deterrence. The moonlight boys will portkey into the kitchens, raise one hell of a ruckus, and proceed to the drawing room for extraction. The second squad, the shadow walkers, led by Markarov and myself will land in the corridor beneath the drawing room floor. From there the second squad will secure the primary objective and advance to the kitchens for extraction. The secondary objective will be accomplished by both teams on their way to the extraction points."

Harry put a blown up copy of the floor plans on an easel for everyone see. With a tap of his wand, the two routes were marked in red and blue. Rather than taking the most direct path between the two points, both teams took a different and more roundabout route to their destination.

"Sir," one of the werewolves called out. "How would you like us to achieve this second objective? Behavior modification is pretty vague."

"This is a black op, it's supposed to be vague." Ivan explained. "Get creative. The point is to ensure that they will never try to steal from our client again and provide a warning to other thieves of the same. Your uniforms for tonight will change. You are not guards from Rapid Mongoose Security anymore. You are criminals and deviants, act like it. Everyone will be dressed in white clothing with a flaming rooster on their backs. Face paint and war cries are encouraged. Anyone who can later be identified will be fired and sent home. No unforgivable curses but put down any resistance with extreme prejudice. Anything to add Markarov?"

Harry looked over the assembled men. Already they were transfiguring their clothes into white denim and leather with a distinctive flaming rooster. The grins were absolutely evil and for the first time Harry wondered if just maybe this was how the Death Eaters got started. He could hear one of the werewolves telling the other to grab a petrol can from the motorcycles. He decided they knew what they were doing better than he did and that it was best if he kept his mouth shut. Shaking his head at Ivan, he left to deliver some last minute warnings and instructions to the dragon crew.

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After giving the dragon hunters his last set of instructions, Harry wondered how his four squads of mercenaries had developed into the current mess. The squads they were initially assigned when they were hired took on lives of their own and a competition of sorts raged between them. The Moonlight Boys were werewolves and favored brute strength and flashy shows of force to assert their dominance. They were not subtle and Harry doubted they knew the meaning of the word. They depended on Harry to give them wolfsbane and a secure room once a month but were worth their keep. They were the most insular of the groups, bonded as a pack in almost every way. Ivan had taken some of the wizards under his wing and they now had the Shadow Walkers. Harry never had to call for one of them; they just appeared when he needed them and were oddly absent the rest of the time. Privately he worried about what else they might be up to on the side. The Dragon Crew was the most recent, but their insistence that they could make it work eventually convinced Harry to give them the basement and install thick steel doors. Ivan was loosely involved with them but not a member. If they ever succeeded, their place as masters of the battlefield was almost guaranteed. The last squad didn't have a name but they were far from ordinary. By an unspoken consensus they developed a flair for medical charms. They were still competent in the other areas they were hired for, but they also decided that someone needed to keep the rest of them patched up. Self preservation blossomed into an acknowledged specialty.

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A/N; After Harry proves himself to his men, what should his unofficial "rank" be? Right now, he's just "Boss" since he hasn't proven himself in battle to them. Depending on the nation and service the four squads of eight make up either a platoon or a company (it's a piss poor nation that calls thirty men a company). I know that for the British services a platoon is three squads, and depending on their make up can be headed by a Lieutenant or Captain. I'm just going to call them a platoon but I can't figure his rank. He should be a Lieutenant correct? Or maybe a Captain? Assuming he were in the military, which he isn't.

Incidentally, I've been waiting for the next chapter since about chapter 10.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter.

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The weather that evening in late February was clear and cold. The sky was free of clouds and the stars were shining brightly. If you asked a random person in nearby Swindon they would tell you the night was almost perfect. There was no indication that anything important was to happen. Only two beings in all of Wiltshire could read the signs.

"Mars is bright tonight." One said to the other.

"So is Uranus," His companion observed. "But Jupiter is below the horizon, it has no power tonight."

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In the Malfoy family home, several people gathered around a table. They were rich and powerful people, feared throughout Great Britain. Rastaban and Rodolphus Lestrange sat together across from Boris Yaxely and Severus Snape. Draco Malfoy was unexpectedly at the end of the table farthest from the head even though it was his home. The aged Ian Rosier sat at the head's right hand while Augustus Rookwood took the left. Other Death Eaters filled the long table, but everyone's attention was on the head of the table where Lord Voldemort sat. The whole of the Inner Circle was gathered.

"Have the ward specialists you hired found out how they escaped?" The Dark Lord hissed.

"Not exactly my Lord," Narcissa replied. "They only found one hole in the wards but it was a long way from their pit."

"Did they check the kitchens?" Snape inquired with a sneer of superiority. "When those petulant children tried to escape, they asked about them before destroying my hands."

"I didn't see them on the ward diagrams they brought us. I didn't want them suspicious so I didn't ask for that specifically. We know Black owns half the company and couldn't risk it. If I didn't know beyond doubt that Black is closer to killing Dumbledore than telling him anything interesting, we would have found someone else."

"We've been over this." Voldemort said. "They didn't escape through the kitchens, they only accept incoming portkeys. I just need to know that nothing new has been found."

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"Ten minutes to midnight, Moonlight squad, get ready." Ivan tossed the werewolves a rope. "The portkey leaves in five minutes. Pavil, bring them all back alive. Korovin, shatter those fire wards. We'll be along after sixty seconds. Start your distraction and get moving. Remember, no English!"

The alpha werewolf gave him a nod and motioned to his team. "Sound off, weapons check!" His teammates responded in turn before grabbing the rope.

"Shadow squad, form up!" Ivan barked. "We leave in five. Markarov, you make the grab. You've got two minutes in the hole before we break and run for the extraction point. Sound off!"

All around him white clothed soldiers slapped their weapons and "toys" they were bringing to the party while yelling their readiness. Harry checked his own and joined the list. He was wearing the second pair of glasses he bought when he got Hermione's, had his enhanced pistol, stun baton, Raiden unit, smoke bombs, and flash grenades. He really wished he could wear his body armor, but it would make him stand out. Fifteen guys in white and one in black makes a great photo-shoot, or a great target.

All too soon, the timer expired and Harry felt that tell tale tug behind his navel as he and his men were whisked away for their date with destiny.

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Pavel Valesk hit the ground and immediately shot of a stunning spell at the house elf that was scurrying around the kitchen. It turned to see what caused the noise and almost managed to pop away when it was hit and knocked unconscious. Two men rushed over to the door and peeked their head out.

"All clear, how's the shadow extraction point look?" One of them called back.

"Pavel! We've got problems!" Korovin waved for attention. "I'm going to kill those curse breakers; we can't portkey out of here."

"Then fuck the fire wards, start with the Ward Hammer on the portkey blockers." Pavil commanded. "Oleg, scout ahead until you get to the main floor. Everyone else, we need to hold this room. Mission profile just changed."

The tall blond hurried out of the room with his pistol in one hand and a mirror in the other. Even when he got to the door the others were holding, he used the mirror to make sure there was no one on either side waiting for him. He tried to remember the map he had studied earlier. To the right should be the coal pit, and stairs were straight ahead.

Creeping across the room, Oleg first checked that the pit was empty and the room clean. He waved the rest of the squad into the room and they took up positions around the door to the stairs. Oleg opened it and stealthily creeped up the stairs. He could hear the Death Eater meeting going on behind it and stopped moving for a few moments trying to gauge how many were waiting for him. Slowly he crept down the stairs and placed a silencing charm on the door.

"More trouble sir." Oleg reported. "We've got at least six hostiles at the top of the stairs."

"How do you know they're hostile?" Pavil demanded.

"We just broke into their house in the middle of the night. I'd be pretty hostile too."

"Understood, Shadow squad portkeyed in one minute after we did, has two minutes in the hole and then will be coming here. I'd call it another three before they arrive at that room. We can't let them walk into an ambush, we attack full bore in three minutes and hope they don't take too long."

"Sir, with all of them up there, that stairway is a death trap."

"Then you better pray that Korovin breaks those wards…"

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"Alright we're in. Markarov get moving. Vasily, make sure Moonlight squad has an exit. You two, secure the exit." Ivan wasted no time issuing orders and in spite of himself, Harry jumped to obey.

"Extraction is clean sir." Vasily yelled a moment later.

Harry rushed down the hall to the first door from the entrance and entered the Dark Arts store room. Poisoned weapons and cursed items surrounded him. Harry spared a moment to glance around the room to see what he could identify. There were several racks of potions and poisons in small precisely labeled bottles. He spotted numerous amulets and necklaces, along with a block of kitchen knives which seemed out of place. As a guess, the chokers probably would and the knives probably caused kitchen "accidents" at an alarming rate. Finally, he moved to the stack of books. He set one of his portable vaults down and opened it up. There was only one problem, the books had been moved since the photo was taken and he couldn't immediately spot it.

"Sir, the fire ward is still up!" Vasily called.

"Markarov you're the most powerful, get in here I'll make the grab. If Korovin hasn't already brought it down, it must be stronger than we thought. You two ward hammer the bastard while I get what we came for." Ivan rushed into the room and started indiscriminately throwing things into the vault, starting with whatever books were at hand.

Harry ran over to Vasily and on the count of three they both incanted the spell together to combine their power. "Malus Costodiet." A glowing and translucent red hammer formed in the air and struck down. A white spider web shape formed for a brief instant before the hammer rose again. The hammer rose and fell two more times before the spider web broke and the detection spells showed no more traces. Vasily looked at Harry oddly, either the ward wasn't strong after all, or his employer was much more powerful than he let on. Possibly both.

When Harry got back to the Dark Arts cache, all of the books had vanished and Ivan was just grabbing whatever caught his eyes. He closed up the parchment and tucked it into his uniform's breast pocket.

"That's two minutes! Time to get moving," Ivan yelled. "I'll just leave them a little going away present."

Ivan pulled the door mostly closed as everyone rushed out the hole in the drawing room floor. Looking back, Harry saw Ivan tying something to the inside of the door and closing it the rest of the way very gently.

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Deep in the bowels of the estate, Narcissa's head whipped up in alarm.

"Something wrong?" The Dark Lord asked.

"There's something not right. Something just changed, I can feel it." She muttered.

"Paranoid bitch," Snape muttered.

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Pavil glanced at his watch for the tenth time in as many seconds. Any moment now, all hell would break loose. The werewolves would attack from below, and then the others would attack from above. If they were lucky, there were only six men in the room and they would find themselves caught between two hostile groups. If not, things would get very messy.

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Harry and Ivan ran down the hall leaving a trail of paint and foul smelling chemicals as they did. The others slashed paintings, toppled suits of armor and basically destroyed everything they came across. At every door along the assigned route, someone would break it down and destroy something, or leave their mark in some manner. Thanks to a graffiti charm that Harry really didn't want to know the origin of, Malfoy Manor was getting a flaming chicken paint job with the words "Burning Cocks" written beneath it in Cyrillic characters. It was somewhat odd that there was a spell made specifically for that symbol and words Harry decided, but for once odd charms were useful.

Together Harry and Ivan kicked open a set of double doors, the last on their tour before descending to the kitchens, and found themselves looking at a very large library.

"The bastards like to steal books?" Ivan chuckled. "Well fuck them."

Ivan lit a rag that had been stuffed into a bottle of petrol mixed with motor oil. With a practiced throw, the glass bottle soared towards the ceiling in the center of the room. It shattered against a piece of the low hanging chandelier and rained burning liquid across several bookcases. Ivan snapped a few photos and they rejoined their teammates in the hall. As soon as everyone was back with the group, Harry cast a bludgeoning curse at the door leading to the basement and kitchens. Together the group let out the loudest war cry yet and charged into the bowels of the Manor, never noticing that the doors had still been closed and locked from the inside.

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From his place near the top of the stairs, Pavil heard a woman scream.

"Oh great Merlin, the library is on fire!" She shrieked.

This was all the cue the werewolves needed, within seconds of hearing her scream the door was blasted apart and Molotov cocktails started flying up the stairs. The werewolves had brought plenty of party favors unlike the other crew, and they planned to use them. Chaos erupted in the room as six flaming missiles flew into the room from below and exploded against any hard surface. Within moments, the room was an inferno with thick black smoke choking their lungs and burning their eyes. Another wave of bottles flew into the room just as the wizards were recovering from their shock. With the stupidity their sons were known for, Crabbe and Goyle shot reductor curses at the incoming cocktails which only distributed their payloads better. Draco Malfoy caught a splash of the burning mixture and since he never had the basic muggle lesson of "stop, drop, and roll" tried to wipe it off with his hands. He only succeeded in spreading the deadly goo.

Voldemort was livid. No one had ever dared to raid a gathering of his inner circle. Occasionally an idiot would try to infiltrate, but no one was ever stupid enough to attack the twelve most powerful men in Britain all at once. Casting a flame freezing charm on himself, he calmly walked over to the door and cast the most painful flesh rotting curse he knew down the stairs. Several bone shattering curses and a corpse exploder flowed from his wand like water and down the dark staircase. Screams indicated that at least one had connected. He casually batted aside the curses that answered his attack. These were such weak fools.

Behind him, Malfoy had finally dropped to the floor in pain but had the misfortune to roll over a bit more of the burning petrol. Desperately he tried every water charm he knew to put the fire out and end his pain. Snape and Rookwood were yelling something at him but he didn't hear it. The burning petrol was washed off by his water spell so he started shooting it around the room at any patch of fire he could see. Other Death Eaters, especially those who had seen their share of potions accidents, were casting proper fire suppression spells but the water was spreading them faster than they could put them out.

Voldemort was backlit by flames as he stood defiantly in the doorway atop the stairs. The werewolves below found him an inviting target and shot every spell they could think of, bar the unforgivables, up at him. As if they were less than nothing, the curses were either deflected or blocked entirely. Demolition spells designed to level a building if the caster was strong enough were blocked with a negligent wave and a high cold laugh. Out of frustration, one of the werewolves who wasn't holding their shields put his wand away and drew the pistol Harry had issued the men. It was not magical or special in any way, but the old Makarov 9X18mm semiautomatic pistol was like an old friend. Magic was great but in times of stress, give him that cold steel in his palm.

A sharp crack rang out and Voldemort's shield barely caught the bullet in time. Seeing how close he was to actually being harmed, Voldemort really opened up. Killing curses began to fly down the stairs and the werewolves scattered from the doorway. The speed of his casting was so great that it was almost as if an unbroken stream of green liquid was shooting from his wand tip. There was an explosion in the room behind him and Voldemort suddenly noticed a presence he had not felt so clearly in almost nine months.

"POTTER!" Voldemort roared. "Only you would be so foolish to hunt me on my own turf!"

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Harry was leading his group down towards the kitchens when they came across a door that was leaking thick black smoke out of the space around the top. He couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, so he motioned to Vasily to break it down.

"Shit, they're still here!" He yelled as soon as the door broke open and saw the chaos that was still rampant as the fires were being put out.

"Conjure some barriers between us and them, we need to get our guys out of here!" Harry instructed everyone. He grabbed the two flash bang grenades he had brought along. "Fire in the hole!"

The two grenades went off with an enormous noise and bright flash that temporarily blinded the Death Eaters. The shadow squad rushed in and started shooting. Spells dropped two of the Death Eaters in the opening volley, and a shot from Ivan dropped another.

Then Harry heard the one voice he really did not want to hear tonight.

"POTTER!" Voldemort roared. "Only you would be so foolish to hunt me on my own turf!"

"Show me your face and I'll cure all your ills, Snake Lips!" Harry taunted. Switching to Russian he called out, "Moonlight, you guys alive?"

Harry faintly heard some indistinct calls from below when Voldemort stepped out of the stairwell. Pulling his enhanced pistol in his left hand he fired several shots and charged the Dark Lord, tackling him to the ground. The bullets were stopped or deflected, but it kept Voldemort from using offensive magic while Harry moved in.

"Moonlight, move your arse!" Ivan yelled when Harry and Voldemort fell. The werewolves ran up the stairs as quick as they could. Two of them had to be supported by their teammates because of injuries and were half dragged up the stairs in the haste of the moment.

Harry kicked and used his knees as best he could in the tangle with Voldemort. He struggled to put his gun away and pull out his cattle prod. Voldemort stuck a dagger in his left arm when he brought it down to strike. Harry felt the two sided blade strike both bones in his forearm when it went straight through, but he pressed on. Thanks to the loop around his wrist Harry didn't lose his weapon and managed to give his opponent a nasty shock. Apparently Voldemort was immune to the stunning aspect of the weapon but Harry kept shocking him. Voldemort's elbow caught him in the kidneys and Harry gasped with pain. With an unusually flexible kick for a man half pinned, Harry was knocked clear and the two combatants leaped to their feet with rage induced quickness.

Suddenly pistol shots rang out from around the room and someone grabbed Harry from behind. The Dark Lord brought up a bright silver dome of opaque magic to shield himself at the same instant. Another two death eaters fell, one of which was shot in the head. Harry was slightly pleased to see the face of Severus Snape as the shattered mask fell away.

"RETREAT!" His captor yelled.

The attacking forces rushed from the room and upstairs. They could hear the Death Eaters pulling themselves together and making to follow. As soon as they broke back into the main floor, Harry dropped his smoke grenades to obscure which direction they were going. They followed the trail of painted on markers back to their entry point at as close to a dead run as they could accomplish. Luck turned against them once again when they found Voldemort and the Death Eaters waiting in the entrance hall. The indirect path they took allowed them to be overtaken because they were slowed with the wounded.

"Covering fire, keep moving!" Ivan called out.

Harry whipped his gun out and started pulling the trigger as fast as he possibly could. Bullets were harder to block than spells and faster too. Around him ten others followed suit as they moved across the open area towards the drawing room and their escape. He was extremely thankful for the extra space in his magazine by the time he crossed the hall, bringing up the rear of the group.

Harry kept firing into the space behind him as he pushed everyone forward into the hidden passage. Pavil was standing by the entrance reloading his weapon when Harry arrived. "Get moving!" Harry shouted.

"You first, I'll cover you."

"This is no time for alpha wolf bravado, move your arse." Harry shouted over the noise.

"It's not bravado, you can't pay me if you're dead!" The werewolf cracked.

Just then, Voldemort appeared in the doorway. "Sectum sempra!"

Harry saw the band of rich violet colored light ripping through the air towards him and did the only thing he could think of. He bashed the butt of his pistol into Pavil's face and kicked out his knees before bringing his arms up to his face and dropping. Pavil dropped backwards down the hole, but Harry didn't quite make it under the spell. The bright purple wave slammed into him and he felt immense pain beyond imagining. He couldn't hear anything over the screaming, but didn't even realize it was his own voice doing the screaming.

Within a second, Pavil's monstrous arms reached up to grab the back of his jacket and drag him to the escape. He barely heard the activation phrase of the portkey and the twisting in his gut, but the screams continued and one image remained burned into his mind. A split second after the flesh ripping curse hit him he saw the bottom half of his right arm, still clutching his wand, fall to the ground in a pool of blood.

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A/N; For those who don't speak centaur, in astrology all of the planets have meaning. Mars is the god of war. Uranus is the "dark one" and means rebellion or evil forces. Jupiter, or Zues the king of gods, rules over luck.


	19. MEDIC!

Disclaimer; I feel the need to quote Spider Jerusalem "Read my Scriptures, I will never abandon the City I love." Or in my case, "Just cause it's been a while doesn't mean I have forgotten my stories."

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Pavil hit the floor running, hauling Harry over his shoulder as he raced towards the break room. "MEDIC! We need some help here!"

One of the soldiers who didn't go on the raid came barreling out of the room, hitting the alarm button as he did. He took one look at Harry and levitated him onto a table after stunning him to stop his struggles. Tourniquet charms hit Harry on all four limbs and the soldier started summoning stabilizing potions and blood replenishers.

Chaos gripped the hidden stronghold as everyone rushed to do what they could for the wounded. Oleg, one of the "squib" werewolves had been the unlucky recipient of a bone shattering curse on his knee and several cutting curses across his back. Several others had minor injuries but Harry and Oleg were the two worst off. Those men trained in first aid and healing spells set to work as fast as they could to minimize the damage.

"Ivan, there must have been something on the knife, his stab wound isn't responding to treatment," the medic working on Harry indicated his intact arm that had been punctured by Voldemort's knife. "I can't do anything for him here; you need to make a decision."

Ivan looked down at his employer and made a tough choice. "Strip him naked, cancel any spells affecting his appearance, and leave only the tourniquets. He needs real help, we'll send him to the hospital alone with one of the portkeys."

Pavil and the other soldier who had been assisting immediately began to follow his orders, but the medic was less enthusiastic. "We can't do that! Surely whoever did this will be looking for him. You can't just turn on the boss like that."

"Pavil, go." Ivan pointed to the cabinet that held the portkeys they had set aside for emergencies. Addressing the medic Ivan somehow became more frightening than any human has a right to be, "You have no clue what you're talking about. You want to know who's after him right now? That Voldemort thing is after him, half of this God forsaken country is after him, the government is after him. The CAPTAIN got hurt because he refused to abandon his comrades when the shit really hit the fan. Don't talk to me about turning on the boss, because right now I'm looking out for your sorry ass too. If there is any way for them to trace him back here, we're all dead. Do you have a way out of the country? I didn't think so, so let me do my job."

Within moments the medic had prepared a quick note with everything they knew about his injuries and a portkey whisked Harry Potter, naked as the day he was born, off to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

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Once Harry was on his way, Ivan turned to everyone else still standing and started shouting orders. "Everyone listen up! The Captain needs some body guards. I'd like two wizards who know first aid on the first watch with me. No one gives him anything unless you are sure it's safe and poison free. Pavil, rest up and pick your partners, you're on in ten. I don't care if the Queen and Pope show up nobody gets left alone in the room with him. As of now you're all on double hazard pay. First shift leaves in fifteen minutes."

People began scurrying around. Two of the soldiers from third squad started packing furiously, grabbing every potion that wasn't desperately needed by someone else and all their first aid gear. If they had their way, Harry wouldn't be taking any potions they didn't supply. Forget about testing every potion for poison that sounded suspiciously like work. Pavil was engaging in a staring contest with everyone who even looked his way, with all the blood and excitement his wolf instincts were coming to the fore and demanded he cement his dominance after suffering a public defeat.

Meanwhile Ivan was upstairs facing off with Harry's planning room door. His first response was to ignore the safeguards and kick the door in, but years of training told him that was probably a bad idea. Instead he borrowed a big ax from one of the werewolves' stuff. Thusly armed and not in the mood to be subtle about acquiring essential paperwork, Ivan put the axe to good use carving a new hole in the wall. Plaster and lathes fell away in chunks, though he avoided hitting any studs. Plaster walls could be easily repaired, with or without magic, so long as he didn't do structural damage.

Now Ivan Vasilyev was no fool. Once he found out about the Wizarding world and their war he did more than a little bit of research into who he was fighting for. Most people seemed reluctant to talk about the enemy, though tongues were loose about the heroes. Simon Black, his employer, was a non-entity and might as well not exist, and Markarov was an obvious fabrication when he called some of his friends still in Russia. Learning the two were one and the same wasn't a surprise but it did make him wonder who he was really working for. His employer had details and knowledge of the war both overt and covert that weren't easy to come by. He had maps and plans for secure facilities like the Department of Mysteries and secret passages into and out of Hogwarts School, complete with passwords. Hearing the enemy call him Potter answered some questions but opened many more.

If he was going to get the soldiers into the hospital, he needed a contract. They needed some kind of legal reason to be there, or else their boss was going to be dangerously exposed. Ivan searched through the papers in the filing cabinets searching for examples of the various signatures and pseudonyms his employer used. Laying them next to each other, Ivan scolded himself for never seeing it before Markarov and Black were obviously the same person. He had never bothered to obscure his handwriting between the two. Examples of Potter's writing were harder to find, but Ivan eventually found a half finished letter to a young lady in his desk in a slightly different hand.

In short order a contract was written up for personal security and backdated two weeks for one Harry James Potter, and countersigned by Yoshia Markarov. Ivan took care to modify the signature a bit more than his employer usually did, but not enough to make the forgery obvious. He added in the notes about the increased hazard pay he had promised the men and stamped it as paid before heading downstairs.

"Alright, we're good to go. Someone send the elf up to fix the wall. Pavil, we expect to be relieved at eleven hundred, we'll send a message back with the room number."

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"Albus Dumbledore!" The fireplace in the Headmaster's suite roared to life.

"Muh? Huh… What?" Dumbledore staggered out of his bed and towards the fire. Waking up a bit he struggled to put a name to the face in his fire. "Healer Pye? What's going on? Is St. Mungo's under attack?"

"No sir, it's not that," The Healer in training answered, "You asked me to let you know if anything really unusual happened and something just did."

Dumbledore was instantly fully awake, "Well, what is going on? What's happening?"

"I'm still not sure how sir, but Harry Potter just arrived in the emergency room completely naked with extensive injuries. It looks like there was some kind of fight; he's missing half an arm and has been poisoned with manticore venom along with numerous other injuries." Augustus answered.

"I'll be right there. Tell the Healers on duty to give him an antidote and prepare him for transport. It's much too dangerous for him to be in public in such a state. We'll take care of him at Hogwarts." Dumbledore twirled his wand and was dressed in seconds. He scribbled a note to Madam Pomphrey and cast two more charms. The first of which made it a howler which would blow up when it got close to her, and the second turned the letter into a paper airplane and sent it out the window and down towards her quarters. Within moments she would be alerted to the situation and making things ready to receive their wayward student.

Dumbledore summoned Fawkes with a whistle and in a flash of fire both were gone, headed for the visitors' entrance at St. Mungo's.

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Dumbledore and the soldiers both arrived in St. Mungo's at about the same time and both were turned away from seeing Harry because the Healers were still working on him. Both groups tried to protest, insisting they had to be there but the Healers were more scrupulous than either side had given them credit for. In the end, the Headmaster and Ivan's crew were both sent to the waiting room from different directions.

"I just don't understand why they won't let us see him," Silas, the younger of the two medics complained.

"Patience is a virtue. We'll be in there as soon as they're done and in the meantime we're between the doors and him." Ivan selected a seat where he could see anyone entering the Hospital through the main doors and sat down to wait.

"Who are you waiting for?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Our Boss…"

"The Captain," Ivan cut his teammate off. "He nearly got himself killed holding the Dark Lord off so the others could escape, show a bit of respect."

"Right," Silas picked up where he left off. "He got beat up pretty bad tonight and we're not sure he's going to make it."

"What happened, was there some kind of attack tonight?" Dumbledore asked. This might explain how Harry came to be here too, but why didn't the Aurors report it to him already?

"Operational Security," Ivan said in Russian, looking sternly at his compatriots. He knew who Dumbledore was and they'd revealed too much already if he found out who their Captain was. He wouldn't have revealed that much even except Silas had started to answer already, ignoring their cover story. "We can't say. Who are you here to visit sir?"

"It seems a student of mine found himself injured fairly seriously. As soon as the Healers are done with him I am here to transport him back to school for his recovery."

"I thought Hogwarts School was supposed to be one of the safest places in the world, what happened?" Ivan probed a bit, trying to move the subject away from their interest.

"I'm not entirely sure. He was off school grounds when it happened and was sent here first. Something happened which caused him to lose his right arm and he was poisoned with manticore venom," Dumbledore said sadly. "He's had some bad scrapes before but I just hope he comes through this okay somehow."

The two medics on either side of Ivan tensed, but he managed to control himself. So Dumbledore found out, that would cause some problems. As his mind went into overdrive considering options, Ivan pulled one of the bags onto his lap and rummaged through to see what he had to work with. Finding a few items of interest, Ivan put together a quick scenario that might work. He'd done more with less, it would have to work. He leaned over to whisper to Silas that he needed a distraction while his hands prepped everything inside the bag.

Once he was told his angle, Silas walked off to the side of the lobby where he could have some privacy. "Professor, could I speak with you for a moment please?"

The Headmaster joined him in the corner, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm not sure how to go about this really, but I've heard that you might know people who are working against the Dark Lord unofficially. My friends and I aren't from around here, but we know that if he takes Britain, the rest of Europe and maybe even Mother Russia would be his next targets. We're good men and we don't want to see the forces of Darkness make such a victory."

Understanding grew on Dumbledore's face, "I'm sure they would be happy to accept your help. One of the main problems with they face is a lack of trained fighters, unlike the Death Eaters. There are only a few Aurors and Hit-wizards to deal with threats once they identify them."

Silas nodded, "Do you know how we can contact their leaders to discuss everything?"

"I'm certain something can be arranged. Why don't you find whoever you can that are willing and have them meet on top of the Flagstaff Brow in Sussex in two weeks time? I'll see that someone will be there to meet them at three o'clock on the twenty seventh."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ivan had joined them at some point and had remained unnoticed until he chose to speak up. "We'll make sure we're there."

Dumbledore went back to his seat and started reading one of the magazines while the other three whispered amongst themselves.

"Why the hell is there insulin in your medkit?" Ivan quietly interrogated his companions in Russian, "There isn't even anyone in the platoon who is diabetic!"

"I packed in a hurry and grabbed everything that wasn't needed somewhere else." Silas had to defend himself.

"Don't carry anything into battle you don't absolutely need. Every gram will slow you down just a little more. I'll be confiscating the rest of this ampoule and the bottle of numbing potion." Ivan pocketed the offending items along with two more syringes.

"Sir, this isn't a battle. We're back to guard duty." The other medic protested.

"If you are not in your barracks, assume you will be in battle at any moment. You have to be constantly alert."

A young receptionist came into the room, causing them to set everything aside. "The Healers say you may visit Mr. Potter now. He is on the fourth floor, fifth ward, bed twelve."

Dumbledore stood and began crossing the room, but swayed a bit, grasped at something that wasn't there and fell to the floor in a heap. As the receptionist rushed over to his side, Ivan dropped an empty syringe coated in numbing potion in the trash and walked through the doors to his employer's room with two confused medics following.

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Harry Potter returned to consciousness to find himself staring at the ceiling in a hospital. Some how he just knew where he was; the antiseptic smell, pristine white ceiling, soft bed, and scratchy gown were the same everywhere. Closer examination showed that wherever he was, he was safe. Pavil and two other werewolves stood watch, and Ivan was sleeping in a large chair across from him with a newspaper over his face.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"St. Mungo's, you were too injured for us to take care of so we had to send you here." Pavil told him. "We can speak freely here; we've erected privacy charms and spells to let us know if anyone is coming."

"How did we fare last night?"

"Oleg will never walk without a cane, and Stefan will be blind in one eye, but we didn't lose anyone. We estimate that the other side lost seven. Factor in the injuries, captured assets, and damage done to the house itself and I would call it a marginal victory."

"But we killed seven of the inner circle," Harry protested.

"The reconnaissance was all wrong, the plan was flawed, and most of the injuries were preventable," Pavil explained. "The Dark Lord being there was a variable we couldn't have foreseen, but your injuries are a direct result of carelessness and poor leadership. Now the world knows of your continued existence and business will be much more difficult with such a noticeable disfigurement."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well sir, it appears that Harry Potter returned from the dead and got himself chopped to bits last night."

"Fuck…" Harry said slowly and with great feeling.

"Exactly, do you think no one will notice that Harry Potter, Simon Black, and Yoshia Markarov are all sporting matching scars and missing their arms?"

Harry closed his eyes and fell back into the pillow. After a few moments he opened them again and asked, "So now that you know the truth, what do the men think?"

"Shadow, Moonlight, and Medic are behind you stronger than ever, but the Dragon squad is still abroad. Despite your poor fighting skills and lack of judgment last night, you probably saved most of our lives. We could not have survived last night unless your squad had come along, and you personally attracted way too much attention while we made our retreat. You bought our blood, but you've earned our loyalty."

"You keep mentioning that I made mistakes and poor choices. Can you teach me the right way?" Harry asked eagerly.

"There's no right way to dance when Charlie wants to Foxtrot, but you definitely need help before you see a battlefield again. The first rule is never bring a weapon into a fight if you don't know how to use it. Last night you switched between magic, a pistol, a baton, and your fists randomly and didn't excel with any of them. A good shield will stop a bullet if the wizard is expecting it and can raise it before you fire, so guns are largely useless against an experienced wizard unless…"

At that moment, a sharp beeping noise rang out and the doors to the ward popped open. A very worried looking Remus Lupin swept into the room and ran over to Harry's bedside. Pavil's arm stopped him from getting close enough for a hug, but it couldn't stop his voice. "Harry, I just heard you were here. What happened?"

"Who told you I was here?"

"Professor McGonagall asked me to check when Albus never came back last night. Apparently he came here to get you but fell into a coma in the waiting room."

"Well I'm not going back to Hogwarts, and unless someone can give me an excellent reason I don't plan to be staying here long either."

"Harry, you're torn up pretty bad. You need real help. Now what happened?"

"I attacked Voldemort's inner circle last night. As bad as this looks, I'm told it was a victory strategically."

Remus started hyperventilating and looked panicky, an odd look for him. When he regained the ability to speak, it was nearly a yell. "You attacked Voldemort? What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

There was a soft thump sound and Lupin toppled forward unconscious. Ivan was standing behind him holding what looked to be a grey sap. "Excuse me, but some of us were trying to sleep."

Harry looked at him oddly. "What did you do to him?"

Ivan sat back in his chair and unfolded his weapon back into a newspaper. "It's called a Millwall Brick, improvised weapon made from paper. Popular among street thugs and football rioters because who would ever suspect someone for carrying a newspaper? You've got a lot to learn Captain, but listen to us and we might all get out of this alive."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer; under no circumstances should you trust someone who "knows a guy" when it comes to business, stuff doesn't fall off trucks, and Bob is NOT your uncle.

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Breaking out of the Hospital was more work than Harry expected. Evidently the nurses and healers had placed their own alarm spells on the hallway around his door because no sooner did he leave his room than two nurses whisked him off to the loo and tucked him back into bed with a warning that he should just use the bedpan next time unless he wanted to injure himself again. Eventually they just decided to ignore subterfuge and just leave even if they had to dodge half the hospital staff while they screamed about resting. That's about what happened too, the Wizarding world wanted to keep track of their boy hero now that they had him again, but eventually Harry and his men got out and after ditching the hospital gown and anything else that could be connected to the hospital in a alleyway before donning fresh clothes they returned to headquarters.

The scene that greeted them however was not what Harry expected to find. There was a shouting match going on between the two squads that had been on the raid that was clearly getting out of hand since their leaders were otherwise occupied. Harry could see Ivan and Pavil gearing up to tear into their troops but Harry raised his hand to stop them. He wanted to be a leader, so it was time he started acting like one. "SILENCE!"

The noise stopped at once and everyone straightened up quickly in something loosely resembling "attention."

"Just what is going on here?" Harry demanded firmly. "I'm gone for a few hours and I come back to find you tearing at each other's throats? You are a team, act like it! Now someone explain, quickly."

Seeing the officers behind Harry looking stern, one of the medics who hadn't been involved spoke for the group. "There was just a minor disagreement about how to divide the captured assets. It's nothing to worry about, umm, sir."

"Then let me settle this right now. No one is getting anything that was taken last night. Some of it will be discreetly sold; half of the money will be set aside for the platoon as a whole. The other half will be distributed _equally_ among the soldier who went out last night no matter what role they played. The rest of the captured stuff which cannot be sold openly will be used to help build a network of contacts and informants. Any money gained will be distributed the same way but it's more important to get to know who does what than it is to get the best price." Harry stopped himself when he noticed he was getting off track. "There will be no fighting here. I've put up with the competitive attitudes and games so far because it built teamwork, but if this going to become a problem I'll put my foot down. You've got a problem, come to me or your squad leaders. Let us handle it and you focus on your jobs. Am I clear?"

"Yes SIR!" barked the soldiers as one. Boot Camp trumped rational thought any day of the week. If it acted like an officer, salute it and try not to piss it off.

"Good now I want to see all the captured stuff on the table of the conference room in one hour." Harry pointed to two of the men who'd had their wands out when Harry entered the room. "You two, I want the main room clean enough to eat off of the floor. No magic."

As he stormed out of the room to get changed into something presentable, Harry was amused to hear his men come back to life.

"What the hell was that?" One asked.

"They take off his arm and it just pisses him off… He's the real deal." Another said proudly.

00000

"Alright, everybody listen up because I'm only going to say this once." After a quick cleaning charm to get rid of the blood, Harry had donned the Captain's uniform he acquired after being shot in Afghanistan and was now looking over all his employees still in Britain. "Until further notice your schedules are worthless. I'm mixing thing up a bit so you won't be pulling the usual jobs. You boys in Med squad and the Dragon clan are taking over patrols. Work with your squad leaders and make up schedules to visit every client at least once a day. I'm sorry for the extra work but that's the way it is. Shadow Squad, I don't care how it happens but I'd like to see maps, locations, type, and preferred clientele of every Wizarding business in England and Wales by the end of the week. Moonlight I know you've got a full moon this week so you're pulling light duty. Go slumming, barhopping, whatever you want to call it. Take a bit of coin and listen to whatever people start babbling when they're drunk or greedy."

"At the end of next week, I'm going to start giving you all some time back home in a rotation. Visit your family, talk to your friends, and just relax. If you don't show up when your vacation is over, you'll get a check in the mail and a letter of recommendation. No hard feelings, no prejudice, I understand. If you know good men who will fit in, your word is enough, bring them for an interview. You know what skills we need better than I do so I will trust your judgment. In two weeks time we begin a slightly more proactive approach to ensuring our client's safety."

"Sir," Boris, one of the Dragon Clan, stood up. "With Nikola, Sergey, and Leroy still out in the field how do you plan to work them into the rotation once they return?"

"I will discuss recent developments with them quietly on their return. I have faith in their abilities to improvise and I doubt they will have many problems with the new arrangements. If it will cause problems for you to work them back into the rhythm, I'll give them other tasks. Any thing else?" Harry looked around.

One of the jokers called out from the back, "Yeah, if I can get Pavil to bite me do I get free booze too?"

Pavil just gave a toothy smile and licked his lips while everyone burst out laughing.

00000

Meanwhile in foothills below the Peruvian Andes, Nikola, Sergey, and Leroy sat on a ridge overlooking a dragon's nest. The nest in question featured a coppery colored dragon as tall as a horse at the shoulder jealously guarding a clutch of football sized eggs. Two large jungle cats lay dead in the flattened grass before her. While Nikola sketched a rough plan in the dirt as his teammates watched from their brooms for any other animal life that could pose a threat.

"Alright she's clearly had some trouble with her eggs in the past. Do we need anything else while we're here or can we just grab it and get the hell out?"

"What was it you said we needed Leroy?" Sergey prompted.

"We'll need something from the mother to make some of the potions work. Either we need to grab some dead skin, or take a bit of blood." The black man supplied, "Hopefully we can mix up a big batch of scent potions so the newborn will impress on us as if we were it's parents."

"Yes, that would make the training easier. Attack dogs need to be raised with their handlers or else they won't submit. A dragon might not immediately submit to an animal it thought wasn't another dragon." Sergey was probably the going to do most of the actual training but Leroy was better with potions.

"Alright Leroy go low and fast before peeling off to the left. Sergey come in from the left but pull up before Leroy passes you. We don't want you to catch a face full of dragon fire, but the sudden change in direction should confuse the dragon. Trying to draw it away on your own is crazy so keep switching back and forth. Keep it confused and off balance while I rush in and grab the egg and skin. Once I've got it, let it chase me for a bit before you both feint towards the eggs. She'll return to the nest and you two can apperate out. Don't worry about me, Natasha will keep me safe." Nikola patted his motorcycle lovingly, resisting the urge to croon while his teammates could hear.

Sergey and Leroy huddled together for a minute to compare flying strategies so they wouldn't collide before moving off into position and waiting for the signal. Once everyone was in place, Nikola loudly revved his engine and pressed the button for some of his magical enhancements. Deep down in the carburetor, the butterfly valves began transfiguring a small part of the air that flowed through them into nitrous oxide and the engine shot blue flames out its exhaust pipes while it adjusted to the new gas mix. Pistons and rings that had been enchanted to resist the heat and pressure worked faster than ever before as Natasha screamed defiance into the cold mountain air.

Taking that as his signal, Leroy let out his own war cry and kicked his broom into high gear. Even considering the tall grass and occasional shrubbery between them, the Dragon had no trouble picking him out as he sailed inches above the ground. He zipped left and right at varying altitudes to prevent himself from getting fried the moment he came in range, ending in a sort of sideways Wronski feint that brought him closer to the dragon than he ever wanted to be.

Sergey meanwhile was certifiably insane. As he passed over the Dragon and Leroy, he inverted himself and smacked the dragon full on the snout. Naturally it took the dragon a second or two to figure that out, it had never happened before. Given his closer proximity to the eggs the dragon decided kicking off to follow Sergey was the right choice and in an instant two tons of angry reptile took to the skies.

Sergey soon learned a lesson most creatures with wings had known for millennia. When you are sharing airspace with an angry dragon, you know it. He discovered that he didn't need to look behind him to know where the dragon was. There was just a large malevolent presence behind him trying to shoot him out of the sky with jets of flame. He took off towards the forest moving erratically and without thought. If he thought about it, there would be a pattern. If there was a pattern to his flying, he'd be crispy when the dragon figured it out.

Right on time his partner zipped in perpendicular to his flight path and grabbed the dragon's tail, jerking it away from her meal. The chase began again, but Leroy either had a slower broom or believed in fair play because he didn't keep quite as much distance. Looking down he caught sight Nikola putting the egg in his side car. This distraction cost him however. With a roar of vengeance and triumph the Peruvian Vipertooth shot her largest blast of fire yet, enveloping Leroy in fires hot enough to melt steel. Just as the flames washed over him he heard Sergey screaming something in Russian and saw Nikola shooting away from the nest at close to two hundred miles per hour. Mission accomplished!

00000

Two days after the fight Harry decided it was time to complete the other half of his deal and collect the bounty. He was still taking strengthening potions every hour to restore the lingering damage from the poisoned knife and pain potions at regular intervals to deal with the phantom pain from his missing hand and forearm, but this was not a time he could afford to look weak. He took the arm from a mannequin and used a sticking charm to attach it where his arm ended below his elbow. It was seven different kinds of uncomfortable and painful but with long sleeves and this gloves it was enough for to pass a quick glance.

Harry gathered his usual traveling supplies, (money, wand, emergency portkey, and taser) and picked up the pocket vault with all the stuff taken from the secret room under the Drawing Room floor. He didn't want too just release it back into his back yard while the war was going on but it was probably worth quite a bit. He'd sorted it all the previous day once he'd gotten the chance, both to make sure they had the book and to take an inventory of what was available. Despite what he had said to the men, several pieces of plunder were kept by various people or the group as a whole when they knew it would be more useful than the gold it would bring. One such item was an enchanted set of throwing knives that would not hold fingerprints and had a homing charm that was activated when one of the set drew blood allowing the rest to seek out their victim even around corners. Another was a pair of goblin crafted suits of armor that were elaborately engraved and inlaid with gold. They couldn't be sold because of the prominent Malfoy family crest on their breasts, but they looked nice on either side of the front door.

He'd called ahead to let the Don and Yuri know that they intended to collect on the bounty and that he would be bringing his right hand man. Pavil would be coming along both for security reasons since Harry was far from whole, and to get a bead on things. When Harry had mentioned that he was offering everyone a way out, Pavil grabbed him immediately after the meeting to assure him that the werewolves would all be staying. He treated them fairly, paid them well, and saw their disease as an asset instead of a liability. Add his suicidally stupid method of distracting the Dark Lord long enough to get them all out of that basement and they figured there was a life debt involved too.

After downing his usual barrage of potions to mask his identity and render his mind impervious, Harry called Pavil up so they could take the specially made portkey to Hollow Mountain.

"I trust these men so we shouldn't have any problems and the location is completely secure, but just the same keep your eyes open," Harry told his subordinate. "They're going to size you up a bit, let them but don't be aggressive. Above all, just go with the flow. I can't afford to offend these particular clients."

Pavil nodded, "I've done this kind of thing before but I'll let you lead. If I have any suggestions I'll let you know discreetly."

"How's that?"

"Oh it's nothing sir, it's just that while we were in the Red Army I occasionally had to go through other channels to get anything that wasn't general issue gear. So if you're telling me that we're going to meet with people who would hire assassins to punish thieves, I'm just letting you know I'm prepared."

"I hadn't quite intended it to come off that way but that's good to know. Grab hold, we're expected." They activated the portkey and left moments before a klaxon started howling two floors below.

00000

"Yoshia, it's good to see you again. You have my property?" Yuri asked a few minutes later.

"Good to see you too," Harry opted to thump his partner on the shoulder enthusiastically instead of take the handshake that would reveal his handicap. "This is Pavil Valesk, my right hand. I think you'll be happy to hear our news."

"I think we'd all be interested to hear it," Don Giovanni said as he and another vampire entered from the antechamber containing where the portkeys deposited them. "I've been hearing the most interesting rumblings coming out of England lately so it should be good to hear it from the horse's mouth as it were. For instance the last I heard there was a squib being reported as your right hand. Or is he _Manus Sinister_?"

"I guess that depends on how you interpret it. Evil Hand, Black Hand, Black's Hand, or just Left Hand, you could make arguments for any of them but then I might think you knew things you shouldn't," Harry smirked at the vampire who was old enough to know Latin as a living tongue. "My initial suspicions proved correct. After I was invited to the Malfoy family home on business I had some of my men investigate a few things. I'd heard whispers from a reliable source that they had a hidden cache of particularly rare and illegal goods so while I distracted our hosts one of my men checked it out. It turns out that the book was with this cache. We also discovered two holes in their warding that we could exploit and made note of them for later."

"Which leads us to the events of three days ago," the Don prompted.

"Once we determined they were a valid target we made preparations to take care of them. There was a slight hiccough when we arrived but overall everything went well." Harry slid the book across the table.

"And the retaliation part of the contract?"

"The Dark Lord was holding a meeting of his minions at the time. They understandably tried to stop us and a minor skirmish ensued. By our dress, actions, targets, and words we made it pretty clear that it was retaliation but we made sure to make it directly traceable to us. Who was it we blamed?" Harry asked.

"Горение Петухов, the Burning Cocks, a Moscow street gang focused on anarchy and chaos." Pavil supplied. Yuri nodded, approving the choice, and motioned to continue the story.

"They lost a lot of priceless artwork and their entire library, were thoroughly vandalized, and a lot of structural damage to the manor itself from firebombs. We estimate it at several million galleons in damages or theft and seven dead Inner Circle. It's just a pity we couldn't raze the whole estate." Harry grinned viciously.

" Seven Inner Circle?" Yuri asked since he wasn't very up to date on the troubles in England. The Don had just nodded thoughtfully and whispered something to the other vampire who made a note on a pad.

"I've explained about the Dark Lord and his followers disrupting everything they can?" Harry asked rhetorically. "The Inner Circle are the top lieutenants to the Dark Lord, with them gone it's likely that things will quiet down for a while until he can find replacements. In particular, Potions Master Severus Snape will be a costly loss since he was both England's top potion brewer and the most valuable spy among the ranks of the Light. On the whole we punished not only those directly responsible for the theft, but the support structure behind it as well."

"Well done, I've actually heard more colorful accounts of the incident so I'm certain that the point about "not pissing off those crazy Ruskies" has been made," The Don snapped his fingers and a small wooden chest hit the floor beside him. "Your payment as promised, do give your men my thanks. Is there any other business for us to discuss gentlemen?"

"Actually there is," Harry pulled out the pocket vault, still in it's parchment form, and a small crystal phial containing a silvery memory. "I have a large collection of Dark Arts related material that I was hoping someone in your network could move for me. I'd have someone take care of it locally, but I'd rather not see it back in hands that want me dead. Does sixty/fourty sound reasonable?"

"I'll have Hans Brenner take care of it, and the other?" He pointed to the phial.

"It's partly an offering and partly a job. Two years ago the spirit of the Dark Lord Voldemort was given a new body in a ritual that took place at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Doubtless how this was achieved would be worth quite a lot of money to the right people. That same evening another curious thing happened. A man who had his hand cut off saw it re-grown from living metal stronger than it ever was before. The client who gave me this memory witnessed both events being done. He has a score to settle with the man with the silver hand and wants to know how it was made and how to unmake it."

"He wants to know both parts of the process? How very interesting…"

"Can we count on your discretion?" Harry asked carefully.

"Always, I'm just trying to decide how much to charge him and who to assign to the task." The Don acted affected, but Harry could see a slight sparkle indicating he was actually pleased about something. "Tell him it will cost twenty thousand galleons or two thousand per week of research needed, whichever is more."

"I'll tell him. That spell may be worth something to hospitals or the Auror corps if it were discovered." Harry slid the memory of what happened in the Graveyard and the pocket vault across the table. "The instructions for the Dark stuff is on the parchment."

"I'll let you know if we find anything useful. The deposit on your client's job will come out of the other. Let us know if you need the Firm's help, summer conclave will take place on the 21st of June." The Don shook everyone's hands as he stood to leave. "Mr. Valesk, Yoshia, always a pleasure."


End file.
